‘Horns Down’ is the gift that keeps giving for Texas, so please quit whining about it
University of Texas president Jay Hartzell needs to issue a vanishing memo that reads, “The next UT employee who publicly complains about ‘Horns Down’ will see me in my office immediately, and bring your laptop.”
The little reverse hands gesture that has drawn the ire of former UT football coaches Mack Brown, Tom Herman and now UT men’s basketball coach Rodney Terry is a Godsend for this school.
On Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas defeated No. 25 TCU 77-66 in one of those games that makes college sports so much fun.
The arena was packed. It was loud. There were a handful of terrible calls. There were a handful of hyper athletic shots, including a few that went in, specifically from Texas guard Max Abmas, who buried a few 3-pointers late that ended this game.
And one would have had to wear an industrial trash bag over their head to avoid seeing the “Horns Down” that permeated all of Schollmaier Arena.
There was the “Horns Down” banner that hung in front of the TCU band section.
There were nine TCU undergrad students in the front row near the Texas bench, who painted “HORNS DOWN” on their t-shirts. There were the 500 “HORNS DOWN” t-shirts distributed to TCU students.
And then every time any player, or coach, from either team, so much as took a breath was more than enough reason for fans to flash their own “Horns Down.”
There is no school in the country that has this sort of free marketing, niche and gimmick that is universally known like “Hook ‘Em,” and its evil twin, “Horns Down.”
Texas, you already have more money than most developed nations, and you can’t take “Horns Down?”
Quit running from it. Embrace every part of Horns Down.
A handful of other Texas schools offer their own fun hand signs; Texas A&M has its “Gig em.” TCU has its “Go Frogs,” Baylor its “Bear Claw,” SMU its “Pony Up,” Texas Tech its “Guns Up.”
Not a one of those has the wattage of a “Hook Em.”
A few weeks ago in Austin, Texas coach Rodney Terry blasted some of the Central Florida players who flashed the hand gesture following the Golden Knights’ win. Terry called it “classless.”
Mack Brown used to express similar sentiments in his long tenure at Austin.
One of his successors, Tom Herman, had similar moments of frustration about the hand gesture; specifically if it qualified as trash talking, and should be penalized.
Yes. Horns Down is trash talking.
No. It should never be penalized.
The day after complaining about the UCF players, Terry did his best to walk it back and apologized.
When Terry popped, he was just a head coach who was mad that his team had blown a big lead and lost at home in a game it should have won.
He would have preferred to yell at his players, so in the moment taking aim at “Horns Down” was the easier path.
About a week later, when Texas played at BYU, a load of BYU students did the right thing by wearing a “Horns Down” t-shirt to the game.
After the first media timeout of the game, the fans wearing those shirts were told they would have to leave the arena, or remove the shirts.
This Charmin toilet paper level softness is normally worth a few segments on a Fox News show, or Joe Rogan podcast.
Texas has two choices when it comes to “Horns Down.” Win.
Deal with it, and love the attention.
Most university administrators would sell their soul for the type international notoriety of a Horns Down.
Every school has “their shtick,” but only a few stick.
There are hundreds and hundreds of major universities in the United States, and maybe a dozen has one of these universally known niche traditions that set themselves apart.
The University of Michigan has its “Hail to the Victors.” Tennessee has “Rocky Top.” Kansas is “Rock Chalk.” Alabama is “Roll Tide.” Notre Dame has its “Golden Dome,” or giant piles of money.
You will notice none of those has an “opposite.”
Beginning in August, Texas will join a league where 104.3 percent attempts to control fan behavior are historically met with a different type of hand gesture.
In the SEC, the middle finger is perfectly reasonable at a football game, Thanksgiving Dinner, and both the 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sunday church services.
Terry, and everyone associated with the University of Texas, needs to exhaust all “Horns Down” whining and moaning between now and the start of the 2024-’25 academic calendar.
This is only going to get worse.
So quit running from it, and embrace “Horns Down.”
If you can’t, report to President Hartzell’s office and bring your laptop.
This story was originally published February 3, 2024 at 3:30 PM.
