-
The Origin Of The Red Towel
Mr. Diddle came to me one day in mid-1946 and advised that I had to do something about
the scarcity of towels.
-
"Big Red"
Big Red,” WKU’s athletic mascot, was born in the fall of 1979.
-
The Hilltopper Nickname
The evolution of the nickname “Hilltoppers” is obvious to those who have seen the Western
Kentucky University campus.
-
"College Heights"
Western Kentucky’s alma mater, "College Heights", was originally written by 16-year-old
schoolgirl Mary Francis Bradley as a poem to be entered in a contest on the campus in 1924.
The Origin Of The Red Towel
"Mr. Diddle came to me one day in mid-1946 and advised that I had to
do something about the scarcity of towels. A review of the problem revealed
that many of our students involved in physical education and athletics were
not returning towels to the towel room after using them. Even when we
opened lockers in the physical education and athletic dressing rooms, and
searched the Village living areas where the athletes lived, we were never sure
what towels were ours. In addition, we always came up short, and, in the
process, disrupted the privacy of individuals not involved in the problem.
At this time McFarland’s Laundry had the contract to launder our towels.
I discussed the problem with Joe, the owner of the company and, based on
our discussion, instructed Joe to dye our towels red. It was soon learned,
however, that when the towel touched a wet body surface some of the dye
came off onto the user, causing the person to look like an Indian ready for a
war dance. We solved one problem, but created another. Not only did we
stop the loss of towels, the use stopped, too.
I called the Canon Towel Company and they advised that they manufactured
a red bath towel that would hold its color. A trial use revealed this to
be true. I requested Miss (Florence) Schneider in the Business Office to
henceforth purchase only red towels. At first, the physical education group,
the athletes and Mr. Diddle were reluctant to change to the red towels,
because of their experiences with the dyed towels. Once it was determined
that the red towels would not fade, the red towel was accepted. This was the
beginning of The Red Towel legend. The rest is history."
— Colonel E.B. Stansbury, former WKU coach and athletics director
"Big Red"
"Big Red", WKU’s athletic mascot, was born in the fall of 1979.
The huge, furry, lovable creature was originally designed and built by
WKU student Ralph Carey (’80) of Cincinnati, and made its debut during
the Hilltoppers’ 1979-80 basketball season. "Big Red" has become a big hit
with fans of all ages throughout the state and the nation.
The ultimate fan and supporter of all of WKU’s intercollegiate sports,
“Big Red” won the "Key to Spirit" award — the highest honor presented to
team mascots at the time — at the Universal Cheerleading Association competition
in 1980, 1981 and again in 1983.
And, in the spring of 1990, "Big Red" reached the "Final Four" of the
UCA’s second annual national championship event in San Antonio, Texas,
taking third-place honors. Then, in the spring of 1996, "Big Red" reached
the "Final Four" of ESPN SportZone’s "Battle of the Mascots" in public balloting
on the Internet.
“Big Red” was the centerpiece of ESPN’s promotion of the 25,000th
SportsCenter, airing in August 2002, and has been named to the Capital One
All-America Mascot Teams five times in six years. In 2004, "Big Red" was recognized
as CollegeHoopsnet.com’s favorite team mascot and a year later was
ranked as one of USA Today’s Top Mascots in College and Professional Sports as
well as among Americasbestonline.net’s top 10 college mascots. A finalist for the
Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006, "Big Red" has made television appearances on
"Deal or No Deal," "Wheel of Fortune" and the Southern Sports Award Show.
The Hilltopper Nickname
The evolution of the nickname "Hilltoppers" is obvious to those who have
seen the Western Kentucky University campus.
The operations of Western Kentucky State Normal School were moved
from the site of its forerunner, Southern Normal School, to a commanding
hill in the southwestern portion of Bowling Green on Feb. 4, 1911. The
move was completed as the entire student body marched to the new site, carrying
various articles of school equipment.
Since the summit of "the Hill" rises 232 feet above nearby Barren River
and the comparatively level plain that surrounds the Hill, it was only natural
that the young athletes who represented the institution centered on the
crest should come to be known as "Hilltoppers."
Still, the name did not come into use until the 1926-27 school year. Prior
to that, WKU’s athletic teams were commonly referred to as "Pedagogues" or
"Teachers."
"College Heights"
Western Kentucky’s alma mater, "College Heights," was originally written
by 16-year-old schoolgirl Mary Francis Bradley as a poem to be entered in a
contest on the campus in 1924.
"College Heights" then became a song when Miss Bradley combined her
poignant words with a beautiful melody composed by her father, Ben J.
Bradley, an accomplished song writer and musician from nearby Franklin, Ky.
On March 12, 1925, "College Heights" was first performed at chapel
assembly in Van Meter Auditorium on the WKU campus by Miss Bradley
and, thus, an alma mater was born. The music was subsequently published
and then copyrighted by WKU in 1930.
On the music is the notation that the song is dedicated to WKU’s first president,
Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry.
