Random observations on oskie (UNCLASSIFIED)

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Wed Jan 20 02:10:29 UTC 2010 

"Bossie-cow-cow" at UC Davis (nee U of Cal College of Agriculture Farm
at Davisville), but reliably dated only to 1926 and known to be a
ripoff of Berkeley's "Oskie-wow-wow," known to be, in turn, a ripoff
of the U of Ill's version of the cheer. No mention of U of Tenn, for
whatever that may be worth.

-Wilson

On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 7:54 PM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- 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 (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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
>>
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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>



--
-Wilson
–––
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
–Mark Twain

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