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C.J. Werner was a little shocked the first time he attended a Kansas University basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse. As he waited for the game to begin, the two guys next to him put their arms around him and began to sing.

Werner, who came to KU in 1995 from Hutchinson, was one of many students to experience one of KU's greatest traditions: the singing of the alma mater followed by the famous KU Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant.

"At first I didn't know what was going on," Werner said. "Then I looked around and saw that everyone was putting their arms around each other and singing, so I tried to follow along. When they started the Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant, I picked it up pretty quickly because it was easy to follow."

The tradition of the Rock Chalk Chant dates to 1866. The chant first began as "rah rah rah Jayhawk" repeated three times. Several years later, an English professor suggested Rock Chalk so that it would rhyme with Jayhawk. It was also suggested because of all the chalk rock- or limestone- found throughout the region.

In 1897 it became the official cheer for Kansas University. The Rock Chalk chant is a tradition that must be heard to be appreciated.

The chant begins low and gradually builds in volume. There are pauses between each word to allow the students a few seconds to yell and scream. By the end of the chant, the gym erupts as students yell as loud as they can.

 Hear the Rock Chalk Chant (mp3)

"I had heard the chant before when I would watch the games on TV," said Grant Gibson, Lyons sophomore. "But when I actually heard the chant in person, I couldn't believe it. It was awesome."

Crimson and Blue

The alma mater came to be in 1891 when George Barlow Penny decided to look for a school song for the Glee and Mandolin Club to sing. Barlow decided to change a few words to Cornell University's "Far Above Cayuga's Water," and "Crimson and the Blue" became the school song.

Here's the text:

Crimson and the Blue

Far above the golden valley
Glorious to view,
Stands our noble Alma Mater,
Towering toward the blue.

CHORUS: Lift the chorus ever onward,
Crimson and the blue
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater
Hail to old KU.

Far above the distant humming
Of the busy town,
Reared against the dome of heaven.
Looks she proudly down.

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Greet we then our foster mother,
Noble friend so true,
We will ever sing her praises,
Hail to old KU.

(REPEAT CHORUS)

"I'm A Jayhawk"

Another popular KU song that any true crimson-and-blue Jayhawk will know is "I'm a Jayhawk," written by George "Dumpy" Bowles, class of 1912. It became a hit with the students in 1920.

I'm a Jayhawk
By George "Dumpy" Bowles
(Revised, October 1958, to conform with Big Eight Conference Team names.)

Talk about the Sooners
The Cowboys and the Buffs,
Talk about the Tiger and his tail,
Talk about the Wildcats,
and those Cornhuskin' boys,
But I'm the bird to make 'em weep and wail.

CHORUS:
'Cause I'm a Jay, Jay,
Jay, Jay, Jayhawk,
Up at Lawrence on the Kaw
'Cause I'm a Jay, Jay,
Jay, Jay, Jayhawk,
With a sis-boom, hip hoorah.
Got a bill that's big enough
To twist the Tiger's tail
Husk some corn and listen
To the Cornhusker's wail-
'Cause I'm a Jay, Jay,
Jay, Jay, Jayhawk,
Riding on a Kansas gale.

New students will soon realize that they also need to save their newspapers before each home game. Another tradition is to hold newspapers as if they were being read while the starting lineup for the opposing team is introduced.

"It is my favorite tradition. It shows the other team that we don't really care who is starting for them because we are going to win anyway," said Kelsi Klein, Russell sophomore.

Even the university mascot, the Jayhawk, joins in and reads a paper.

Compiled by Roy Lopez