Origin of Throwing up The "U"

[UMFarArcher]

The origin of the throwing the "U" comes from the mists of dawn . . . before time began . . . when gods and fairies roamed and ruled the earth . . .

Aye. When the Spartans faced 250,000 Persians, first thing Leonidas did was step out front and throw up the "U."

Rattled the Persians so bad, the Spartans managed to kill some 25,000 Persians.

Both sides knew what the "U" meant.

Same thing worked for Alexander. Outnumbered 5:1, they slaughtered their opponents, especially effective at Arbela.

They had seers back then that could see visions of the future - and of all the powerful things they all saw - the "U" was the most impressive.

 

[itsacanething]

Not a great pic due to the quality of videoView attachment 83609View attachment 83609

that was a wide right demonstration.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

that was a wide right demonstration.

Wide Right I was 1991.

 

[itsacanething]

Wide Right I was 1991.

i was kidding. but seriously do not recall the U being a thing until the 2000's.

 

[thereds]

I know this has been discussed before of when we 1st saw someone make the U hands gesture. I'm rewatching Miami FSU 1987 and see a cheerleader make the U with their hands. I didn't know it went back that far.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

i was kidding. but seriously do not recall the U being a thing until the 2000's.

Agreed, as far as being on t-shirts, etc.

But it definitely started in the 1980s. It just piddled along for a while before taking off in the 2000s.

 

[rsa coral gables]

 

[JTKoval]

1992. I was at Miami 89-93. I never threw up a U. Never saw a regular issue student do it. BUT I also remember the band playing the Star Wars theme in 92 and the girls with the band doing the U. Picture the theme music and starting the U over the head and it coming down. Over and over. Scared the **** out of visitors! Lol. I remember thinking wtf are they doing?

I remember later thinking music and gesture was cheesy. It was like we wanted a chomp or that FSU thing. But I whiffed on that opinion. I also thought/think Facebook is annoying.

 

[MainLineCane]

Are you sure that is the 1987 (away) game and not the 1988 (home) game?

Michael Irvin frequently did a "U" where he put his thumbs together and then held up his index fingers, as if he was making a goalpost for paper football.

When F$U would do their warchant (which was originally just for offensive possessions), Miami fans would respond to the tomahawk chop with either a one-handed or a two-handed chop with extended middle finger(s). This gesture frequently made it into the TV broadcasts.

Tad Foote and others were not happy. I believe that Bill Tigano (a former cheerleader) claims that he came up with the "U" hand symbol in 1992, and I think that his claim is that it's the "thumbs together plus all fingers upright" version. There is a Miami Hurricane article that credits a UM student back in 1984:

https://www.themiamihurricane.com/2014/11/12/fsu-game-inspired-first-man-to-throw-up-the-u/

Clearly, between 1984 and 1992, the "U" hand gesture began to grow and mutate.

There's a reason why I don't believe Bill Tigano's claim. I was an undergrad at Miami from 1986 to 1991 (graduated in 5 years after switching from Engineering to Business). One of my best friends was in the Band of the Hour. When we were playing in the Orange Bowl (86, 88, 90, 92, etc.), our band's response to the Warchant was to play the Imperial Death March from Star Wars. And Connie Nickel (the administrator who led the cheerleading teams) instructed all of the cheerleaders to have the student section do the "U" hand gesture during the playing of the Imperial Death March.

It was, literally, an attempt to get the student section to do something with their hands instead of extending their middle fingers for the Tomahawk Chop, particularly since UM had a partnership with the Seminole Indians (Iron Arrow, UM's Highest Honor Attainable) since the 1930s.

So Bill Tigano may have been photographed doing the "U" hand gesture in 1992, but I specifically remember the cheerleaders (particularly Val, who was more imposing than Bill) trying to convince the drunken student section to do the "U" while the Band played the Imperial Death March...BEFORE 1992.

And, sure, I was heavily inebriated for most of those games, but I'm fairly certain of my recall on this issue.

Tigano my ***

My UM girlfriend originated and popularized the U in Miami, 1st at her dorm, then later campuswide, after repeatedly using the U to try to block me from constantly photographing her over the stall while she was using the toilet when we both were students there.

I'd post those 1984 pics if I wasn't certain she'd sue the **** outta me and win. ...that girl never had much of a sense of humor...she still has anxiety and difficulty using the toilet to this day.......the rest is history

 

[LPK2006]

See I have been watching Canes games since 1986 and I don't remember seeing it til around 1999 or so . I think I first saw it when Santana Moss and Ed Reed and others would throw it up after scoring during that historic run. It could of been around earlier but never saw it .

Yeah, I have been watching since 1981, and I don't remember seeing it until around 1999 either. But then again if it was going on in the OB student section, I likely wouldn't have seen it as I sat in the west end zone from 1981-2005. I do not remember anyone in the WEZ throwing up the U until '99-early '00s.

 

[dhouze]

I never saw it in the student section during 1982-86. If it was a thing, Yamma Yamma would have been photographed doing it. Back then we used to crowd surf the Bird...until we dropped him on his head sometime in 1985. He never went in again.

 

[TheMatador]

Try getting heavily inebriated again, sometimes it aids in the recall of conversations and events that took place while in that state.

Or certain drugs....prescription drugs, no need to go illegal. Drugs are your friend.

 

[TheMatador]

Aye. When the Spartans faced 250,000 Persians, first thing Leonidas did was step out front and throw up the "U."

Rattled the Persians so bad, the Spartans managed to kill some 25,000 Persians.

Both sides knew what the "U" meant.

Same thing worked for Alexander. Outnumbered 5:1, they slaughtered their opponents, especially effective at Arbela.

They had seers back then that could see visions of the future - and of all the powerful things they all saw - the "U" was the most impressive.

It's a Greek thing...goes back thousands of years...and I understand there are a lot of Greeks on campus. Legend has it that they tailgate on campus but don't go to the stadium.

 

[TheMatador]

I never saw it in the student section during 1982-86. If it was a thing, Yamma Yamma would have been photographed doing it. Back then we used to crowd surf the Bird...until we dropped him on his head sometime in 1985. He never went in again.

Was that John Routh?..he also got hit by a stray bullet in the French Quarter before one of our bowl games. People in N.O. like to shoot up in the air before New Year's.

I guess being a true Ibis is hazardous. (It's an Ibis, not just a "bird." Ouch...what do they teach in college these days?)

 

[TheMatador]

I think that pic is from 2013 for some reason. Pretty recent. I left Miami during Howard S reign. He and coach Harold Allen mean a lot to me.

Coach Allen was a legend as a longtime assistant second only to Walt Kichefski .

Was he the DL coach for the '83 NC team or had he stopped coaching before then? I remember Bill Trout as an assistant but I don't remember if he was DL coach that year.

Coach Allen had an administrative job in the athletic department in the late '80's, sort of a jack-of-all-trades. He maintained contact with former football players, would go to the airport to greet visiting teams, etc.

Had a resume of a lot of stellar DLs he coached at the U...and I think had an impressive record at Key West before that.

 

[classiccane12]

1992. I was at Miami 89-93. I never threw up a U. Never saw a regular issue student do it. BUT I also remember the band playing the Star Wars theme in 92 and the girls with the band doing the U. Picture the theme music and starting the U over the head and it coming down. Over and over. Scared the **** out of visitors! Lol. I remember thinking wtf are they doing?

I remember later thinking music and gesture was cheesy. It was like we wanted a chomp or that FSU thing. But I whiffed on that opinion. I also thought/think Facebook is annoying.

The Star Wars theme with the over head U motion was also brought back during Hesters years before he was about to return a kick.

 

[SWFLHurricane]

Was that John Routh?..he also got hit by a stray bullet in the French Quarter before one of our bowl games. People in N.O. like to shoot up in the air before New Year's.

I guess being a true Ibis is hazardous. (It's an Ibis, not just a "bird." Ouch...what do they teach in college these days?)

2001 Sugar Bowl

 

[holdnorth]

I just googled 2001 Hurricanes and I don’t see a single player making a U at that time. The first pic I see is in 2004. I’ve been a fan since the early 80’s that seems about right. Maybe someone did it earlier but didn’t catch on until later.

 

[77cane]

when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he threw up the "U".

Actually there is a missing verse in Genesis.
On the 8th day God threw up the U, and He saw that it was very good.

 

[CandideCane]

I'm always impressed with the amount of memory cells still fully intact for all of you graduated in 80's. I've been a fan since teen in 87/88 and trouble remembering where I parked the car at Publix. I should've known that **** was cut with horse tranquilizers, smh.