From: kevink@fugitive.soac.bellcore.com (Kevin Klinge)
Subject: Hokie/Gobbler - the REAL answer 
Organization: Bell Communications Research
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 15:23:04 GMT

In article <1992Apr14.113949.6716@news.larc.nasa.gov>, cockrel@shab06.larc.nasa.gov (Charlie Cockrell) writes:
|> In article <1992Apr13.210529.12310@rice.edu> rbutera@sawwhet.owlnet.rice.edu (Rob Butera) writes:
|> >
|> >Back when I was at GT and we played Virginia Tech, there was a bit of campus
|> >folklore that said that a Hokie (I think that's what they're called) is
    ^^^^^^^^
That's about what it is - folklore.  I'll explain below...

|> >really a castrated turkey.  Is this true, or just another piece for the
|> >storybooks?  Someday I'll bother looking it up ...

You won't find it in Webster's, but a specific reference to VT history 
(which I can quote from) will clarify things.

|> It's true - although some won't admit to it.                               
   ^^^^^^^^^

Charlie is only half correct.  It's only true to UVa people who'd like to 
believe this, but not to those of us Hokies who know the origins of these 
names (and from what I've heard and read, its apparent not all Hokies do 
know the origins).

|>                                              Last year at the UVa-Va. Tech
|> game, a Tech student tried to convince me that the team is known as the
|> "Fighting Gobblers" because they football players tended to "gobble
|> their food" (she was serious!).                                        

Actually, she WAS correct about "Gobblers"...

Around 1908, Va Tech students began referring to student athletes as 
"Gobblers" because of the way they "gobbled" down their ample servings
of food.  In 1913, a local boy, serving as a clown mascot, had a large
turkey pull him in a cart at football games.  From then on, fans and
sportswriters associated the "Gobbler" with Tech's athletic teams.
A costumed Gobbler mascot was introduced during the games in 1962
(still before my time, mind you) and has been a symbol of school spirit
ever since.

|>                                 She didn't have an answer for why they
|> are referred to as Hokies, nor did she have a clue when pressed about why
|> there was this big ugly bird standing right in front of us! The way she
|> told it, it just flew in for Thanksgiving. Now, I guess we know why
|> Michael wanted the subject kept off of embarrassing mascots. 

The VT student you talked to wasn't as up on the Hokie origins as I'll
explain below.  You should have come over to the west side of the stadium
on the grass where I was Charlie, and I would have straightened this out.:-)
Although by the second half after some more drinking and a probable defeat, 
I wasn't much in the talking mood...

The word "Hokie" was coined by O. M. Stull (class of 1896 for those of
you still reading this) in his spirit yell "Old Hokie."  Originally, 
the word had no specific meaning and was used as an attention getter
(much like UVa's Wahoo I'd imagine - right Charlie?).  The word has become
a popular nickname for all Tech alumni, students, and team. 

So those are the origins of both words.  No story of "castrated turkeys"
is true in the Tech tradition, and this specific folklore definition 
certainly isn't documented in any reputable dictionary.  I just thought 
some clarification was in order since this thread was straying off of 
the facts of Tech's history.

BTW Charlie, you are right about our mascot needing a new costume. I'll 
grant you that.  I personally liked the one before that existed in the 
mid-80's.

-- 

Kevin H. Klinge
Bell Communications Research
kevink@soac.bellcore.com

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