Random observations on oskie (UNCLASSIFIED)

Wed Jan 20 00:54:45 UTC 2010

There's no doubt that the word "exists."  (My daily perusals of the Beacon
were over by 2007).  But the evidence suggests that it's always been
known primarily to college football historians and the most dedicated Vols
fans. Maybe it's starting to spread.

It's true I didn't go to many games, but it's also true that I spent most of
every day on campus, reading the Beacon, reading themes (many by rabid
fans), and frequently hearing others talk about Vols Football.  And
remember, I was constantly on the lookout for odd words. Not once did
I encounter "oskie."

FWIW.

JL

On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 12:56 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: Random observations on oskie (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
> Jon --
> I take it you don't go to many Tennessee home football games. Neyland's
> maxims, including the one with "oskie", were on the Jumbotron during the
> 2001 and 2002 season. It got started as part of the 50th anniversary of the
> 1951 National Championship season.
>  $B!! (J
> Gary Lundy "Neyland's maxims hit the big screen - Fans get chance to learn
> about legendary coach" _ Knoxville News-Sentinel_ 8/29/2001 p. D1
> "V Ball, oskie , cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle ...
> for this is the winning edge. "
>
> Chuck Cavalaris "Majors unlocks key to 'oskie' origin " _Knoxville
> News-Sentinel_ 12/16/ 2001 p. C3 " ""It comes from oskie -wow-wow, which is
> a phrase we were taught to yell after we intercepted a pass," [former UT
> player and head coach Johnny] Majors said. "You would yell, ' Oskie , oskie
> , oskie ' to let your teammates know they needed to turn around and block
> someone." Majors said he first heard the phrase in 1953 as a freshman when
> first-year players were not eligible. . . .But where does oskie come from,
> coach? . . .Here's the best Majors can tell, both from conversations with
> [former UT Head Coach Robert] Neyland and elsewhere: oskie -wow-wow is an
> Indian term that became familiar to settlers in the "frontier days." "I wish
> I had the exact translation for you," he said. "But oskie -wow-wow means
> circle the wagons and protect your perimeter. When settlers heard oskie
> -wow-wow, they knew something was up and needed to close ranks, whether it
> was a possible attack or a b!
>  attle cry or whatever. It also makes sense in football because the
> secondary is part of your perimeter defense." "
>
>
> And you should have read the student paper a little closer:
> Robert Holder "Vols need to take a lesson from past" _The Daily Beacon_
> 10/5/2007 [online archives have no page number]
> "5. Ball, oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle... for
> this is the WINNING EDGE. "
>
> The term "oskie" and the phrase "oskie wow wow" are also associated with U
> of Illinois.  The mascot of Cal at Berkeley is a bear named Oskie.  It is
> also the nickname of an athletic team at Oskaloosa.
>  $B!! (J
> An early use of the word in a cheer:
> "PENNSYLVANIA, 12; TIGERS, 0"
> _New York Times_ Nov 11, 1894; pg. 3
> "The Quakers now sprung a new cry upon the crowd. They had evidently been
> holding it back as a final war whoop should their team do well. It was:
> "Oski-wow-wow, whisky-wow-wow, Olemukili Kentucky-i-Pennsylvania."
>  $B!! (J
> Early documented reference to oskie = pass interception, to intercept
> (although it probably goes back much earlier, to 1940s at the latest, during
> Neyland's tenure as a head coach).
>
> "Record Point Race" _The Corpus Christie Times_ 10/31/1968 p 54 col1 "The
> "oskie" set up RICKY LESSER'S 53-yard field goal, also a new school record."
>
> And related:
>
> Frank Ellis "Firm Jayvees Beat Jonesboro _Blytheville Courier News_
> 10/17/1967 p 9 col 4 "Maxim number five used by Wyatt says, "Follow the
> ball, cover, OSKEE (rally to the point), and pursue, here is the winning
> edge." " [The "Wyatt" reference is to Arkansas coach Bowden Wyatt, who had
> played under Neyland at UT].
>  $B!! (J
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> > Sent: Saturday, January 16, 2010 8:20 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: Re: Random observations on oskie
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------------
> > --------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Random observations on oskie
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > --------
> >
> > In thirty-five years at UT, I never encountered this term.  I used to
> > read
> > the student paper every day, too, looking for weird words.
> >
> > Deduce what you will.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 9:12 PM, Victor Steinbok
> > <aardvark66 at gmail.com>wrot=
> > e:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      Random observations on oskie
> > >
> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ----=
> > ------
> > >
> > > Feel free to use or discard...
> > >
> > > In light of USC/Tennessee football coaching turnover, "General" Bob
> > > Neyland's Seven Maxims briefly came back into the national focus. One
> > of
> > > them is "Ball, *oskie*, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang
> > > tackle...for this is the winning edge." Apparently, it is a common
> > > source of puzzlement.
> > >
> > > http://bit.ly/8bsR54
> > > >
> > > > Enough with the middlemen. It's time to take the question to the
> > very
> > > > top. Enter John Bunting, a man who has spent his entire life in
> > > > football. He coached for three different NFL teams and was a
> > defensive
> > > > coach for his entire coaching career before arriving at North
> > > > Carolina. This was a man who would know oskie.
> > > >
> > > > Or maybe not.
> > > >
> > > > "It's an interception term," he said with a smile. "I don't use it.
> > I
> > > > hate it. I didn't invent it and I don't know what it means and I
> > don't
> > > > know where it came from. I have been called upon to use it as a
> > > > player. If you find an Ohio State player, they might be able to
> > tell
> > > > you. It goes all the way back to Woody Hayes."
> > > >
> > > > Not to quibble, Coach, but it apparently goes back even further
> > than
> > > > that. According to http://www.oskie.com (no, seriously, it really
> > does
> > > > exist), the term goes all the way back to General Bob Neyland at
> > > > Tennessee. In fact, it was one of his seven maxims of football.
> > "Ball,
> > > > oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle...for
> > this
> > > > is the winning edge," according to Neyland. He was unavailable for
> > > > further comment since he is, technically, dead.
> > > >
> > >
> > > One recent youth coaching manual states simply,
> > >
> > > > Oskie Oskie is word that some coaches and players use to announce
> > that
> > > > they have just gotten an interception.
> > >
> > > Athletic Journal (1950--no issue identified) has a similar
> > description.
> > >
> > > > It is well to have the man making the interception call "oskie"
> > when
> > > > he catches the ball.
> > >
> > > UD has the same explanation, although it also has an unrelated entry
> > for
> > > "Oskie Woskie".
> > >
> > > But searching GB actually reveals another turn of the century usage--
> > in
> > > university and fraternity cheers.
> > >
> > > (1906) <Note that a number of other chants on that page contain
> > > references to graduating class by year, including "nineteen-two" and
> > > "nineteen-seven".>
> > > http://bit.ly/93cCZq
> > > > Oskie! Wow! Wow!
> > > > Wiskie! Wee! Wee!
> > > > Oli-muck-e-i!
> > > > K. U. Medic-ki!
> > >
> > > http://bit.ly/5mhpO0
> > > (1917)
> > > > Come back and renew old acquaintances--
> > > > Come back and join us with big "Oskie Wow-Wow."
> > > > We will guarantee you a lively time.--
> > > > Homecoming invitation sent out by University of Oregon.
> > >
> > > http://bit.ly/8Eflcd
> > > (1908)
> > > > Then [Kappa=3DDelta] almost raised the roof by the "Oskie-woy-woy"
> > yell
> > > > of Illinois.
> > >
> > > http://bit.ly/79GbCV
> > > (1919)
> > > > And "Chet" Cleveland tried to give an Oskie-Wow-Wow for Illinois
> > all
> > > > alone, and I had to help him out, although I was at the other end
> > of
> > > > the room.
> > >
> > > http://bit.ly/7RrW5n
> > > 1919
> > > > ...traditions that will make chills play tag up and down a
> > student's
> > > > spinal column when he hears an Oregon "Oskie," that will encourage
> > a
> > > > seasoned first year man to fight for a green cap which he once
> > > > considered unsightly.
> > >
> > > http://bit.ly/8tXuHJ
> > > 1928
> > > > You fellows from the Oskie-Wow-Wow and from the hicks and the
> > sticks =
> > =97
> > > > you fellows from the little towns.
> > >
> > > http://bit.ly/4Dxg2E
> > > 1921
> > > > With an Oskie Wow, Wow, Illinois," and many a Rah, Rah, Rah, for
> > > > Georgia, V. M. I., Norwich, Michigan, and Massachusetts Aggie, 234
> > > > students shouted their farewell to Fort Ethan Allen on July 21.
> > >
> > > There is a reference to "oskie-wowow" on p. 60 of Newsweek that is
> > only
> > > identified as vol. 16, 1940.
> > >
> > > Another is in 1958 Values in culture and classroom: a study in the
> > > sociology of the school, By H. Otto Dahlke (p. 205--snippet only)
> > > http://bit.ly/7ISmkh
> > > > For the present, therefore, the mass entertainment pattern with all
> > > > its implications will remain. Oskie Wow Wow=97 Skinnie Wow Wow Rah,
> > rah=
> > ,
> > > ...
> > >
> > > All other hits are on proper names or simply misidentified names
> > (except
> > > one early reference that actually reads "oxide" in the text).
> > >
> > > VS-)
> > >
> > > PS: US Army Captain Robert Neiland (1892-1962) coached Tennessee from
> > > 1926 to 1952 with some interruptions--including during WWII, when he
> > was
> > > promoted to Brigadier General before returning to Tennessee. His
> > > graduated from West Point in 1916 amd later got an engineering degree
> > > from MIT.
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --=20
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org