Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

To the average person, the words “Hook Em” or “Sic’ Em” might not mean much. They may think a maroon clad individual who gives them a thumbs up as they pass them on the street is just being friendly. But to students, fans, and alumni of schools in the Big 12, those phrases and hand signs represent much more than that.

They started off as symbolic indications of school pride in the now defunct Southwestern Conference, representing anything from the horns of a horned frog to the horns of a Texas Longhorn. UH and TCU did not accompany Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor into the Big 12, but the hand signs and sayings that had been developed over the 80 year history of the Southwest Conference did last through that transition, and are still extremely prevalent today. 

Gig ‘Em, Texas A&M (thumbs up with either hand): The tradition of Gig ‘Em began before the 1930 showdown between the Texas A&M Aggies and the TCU Horned Frogs. The Aggies hold a midnight yell practice at Kyle Field the night before every home game that serves as a way to fire up the fans for the next day’s game. During this game’s yell practice, Joseph A. “Pinky” Downs, class of 1906 and a member of the Texas A&M board of regents at the time, was giving a rousing speech to the crowd and asked “What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?” Before they could respond, Downs yelled out an impromptu “Gig ‘Em,” making the closed-fist, thumbs up gesture used when going frog hunting with a type of spear known as a “gig”, a small town tradition in Texas and across the south. It quickly caught on and became the first hand sign used in the Southwest Conference. Today, “Gig ‘Em” is utilized as everything from a substitute for “goodbye” to a yell used at kickoff on gamedays at Kyle Field.

Hook ‘Em, University of Texas (partially closed fist with pinkie and index finger extended): The first Hook ‘Em Horns hand sign was created in 1955 by Harley Clark, then the head cheerleader at UT. The Longhorns were enduring a rough season and were 4-4 overall, but could still be selected for the Cotton Bowl if they won out, starting with a victory that weekend over nationally ranked TCU. A week of impromptu pep rallies around campus culminated with an official rally at Gregory Gym, and after a variety show, speeches from the coaches, and songs by the Longhorn Band, Clark decided to introduce his idea. Earlier that week, fellow classmate Henry “HK” Pitts had pointed out that extending the pointer and pinkie finger created a hand sign that resembled the head of Bevo, the Longhorns’ mascot. Clark thought introducing this as the “official hand sign of the University of Texas” would be a perfect way to fire up the fan base and at the same time create something that could counter rival Texas A&M’s “Gig ‘Em,” which had spread across the state since its inception decades before. Despite early objections by the Dean, the stands of Texas’ game against TCU were filled with “Hook ‘Em Horns” and although TCU ran away with a 47-20 victory, Texas still ended up with a hand sign that is remains one of the most recognizable in college football today.

Guns Up, Texas Tech (closed fist with index finger and thumb extended): Much like “Hook ‘Em” was partly invented to combat Texas A&M’s “Gig ‘Em,” Texas Tech’s “Guns Up” was also created to as a result of the growing popularity of the Horns’ hand sign. L. Glenn Dippel, Texas Tech class of 1971, was living in Austin and grew so tired of seeing the UT hand signs all over town that he decided to create something for his Red Raiders. Drawing inspiration from their mascot, Raider Red, and his duel six shooters, Dippel thought up the idea to put both hands in the air in the shape of guns. After contacting the Texas Tech spirit squads, the idea was immediately implemented and spread throughout the campus, quickly becoming the official hand sign of Texas Tech.

Sic ‘Em, Baylor (open hand with fingers bent in the shape of a bear claw): The last hand sign from the formerly SWC schools is from 2010 Bowl participant Baylor University. “Sic ‘Em Bears” was originally started by Baylor’s yell leaders in the early 1960’s. However, the idea did not catch on at first, and its use was debated across campus for the next decade. Students, staff members and alumni were not completely supportive of the idea until Baylor until head coach Grant Teaff joined the program in 1972 and decided that the Bear Claw hand sign and “Sic ‘Em Bears” yell would signify pride in Baylor athletics. As Teaff guided the Bears through the most successful 20 year run in their history, “Sic ‘Em Bears” grew exponentially in popularity. Today, both the “Sic ‘Em Bears” yell and hand sign are used on many occasions in multiple sports, including on kickoffs and during the Bears’ school song.