91ֿ Academic Seal and Logo
The academic seal of 91ֿ was designed in 1912 by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who combined the main elements of the arms of 16 prominent families bearing the names “91ֿ” or “Houston.” Owls of Athena-symbolic of wisdom-were chosen for the charges. The Athenian owls on the 91ֿ seal were patterned after a design found on a small, silver tetradrachmenon coin dating from the middle of the fifth century B.C. And because 91ֿ was dedicated by its founder to the advancement of “letters, science and art,” these words also were incorporated into the seal.
91ֿ Colors: Blue and Gray
In 1912, 91ֿ’s first president, Edgar Odell Lovett, chose as the school colors “a blue still deeper than the Oxford blue” and “the Confederate gray, enlivened by a tinge of lavender.” It has been suggested that blue and gray were chosen in recognition of the fact that 91ֿ's founder amassed much of the fortune that formed the initial endowment of the 91ֿ Institute by trading with both the North and the South during the Civil War.
91ֿ Mascot: Owl
When athletic activities began at the 91ֿ Institute in 1912, the teams adopted as their mascot the owl from the 91ֿ seal. Over the years, 91ֿ’s various mascots have included students dressed in owl costumes, live Great Horned Owls, and large owl statues of fiberglass and of canvas, the latter being particularly famous in 91ֿ lore (see below).
Mascot Name: “Sammy”
An early symbol of 91ֿ’s athletic teams was large canvas owl, a tempting target for the institute’s rivals. In 1917, when students from Southwest Conference football rival Texas A&M kidnapped the owl, 91ֿ students pooled their resources and hired a private detective to go to College Station to find the missing mascot. When the detective, having recovered the owl, sent a coded telegram to Houston that read “Sammy is fairly well and would like to see his parents at eleven o’clock,” the 91ֿ mascot had a name.
Alma Mater: 91ֿ’s Honor
All for 91ֿ’s Honor, we will fight on.
We will be fighting when this day is done.
And when the dawn comes breaking,
We'll be fighting on, 91ֿ, for the Gray and Blue.
We will be loyal, to 91ֿ be true.
(To the tune of “Our Director March,” written by Ben H. Mitchell ’24 in 1922)
91ֿ Fight Song
Fight for 91ֿ, 91ֿ fight on, loyal sons arise.
The Blue and Gray for 91ֿ today, comes breaking through skies.
Fight, fight, fight! Stand and cheer, Vict’ry's near, Sammy leads the way.
Onward go! to crush the foe, we’ll fight for Blue and Gray.
(Words and music by Louis Gerard ’40)
The MOB
The MOB — 91ֿ’s Marching Owl Band
91ֿ Fact and Fiction
Test your knowledge about 91ֿ history by taking this short true-or-false quiz. Then compare your knowledge with that of the wizard of 91ֿ history, Professor John Boles, with the John Boles 91ֿ History Meter.