Toledo Rocket is an athletic team representing the University of Toledo. The Rockets is a Division Football Division team at the National Athletics Association and plays at the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The color of the school is midnight blue and gold.
Toledo's main competitor is the Falcons of Bowling Green State University. Both teams play for trophies each year known as the Peace Pipe, a gift that comes from basketball but progressed to football in 1980. This rivalry is sometimes known as "The Battle for I-75" because The cities of Toledo and Bowling Green are located just off Interstate 75 and only 20 miles separate the two campuses.
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A member of the Western Division of the Mid-America Conference, Toledo sponsors teams in six NCAA sports teams of six men and ten women.
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The origin of a nickname
When The University of Toledo played the Carnegie Institute of Technology which then came to power in football on September 29, 1923, Pittsburgh sports writers were surprised to learn that UT did not have a nickname. Although an unseeded man, Toledo fought hard, recovering a series of embarrassing mistakes by Tech he liked. The Pittsburgh writer pressed James E. Neal (1904-1983), a UT junior pharmacy student and author for The Campus Collegian who worked in the press box, to come up with a nickname for his school team. Despite the loss of UT 32-12, students labeled the team "Skyrockets," clearly impressed by the striking performance of his alma mater against the flagship team. William B. Hook, who started as an unknown replacement keeper and ended his hero, grabbed Carnegie out of the air and ran 99 yards for a touchdown. A sports writer comments that Hook looks more like a rocket than skyrocketing when a Carnegie Tech player fails to catch up with him. Other authors began to use the name "Rockets" with quotation marks in their stories, but after a week of quotes dropped and the nickname of Toledo University remains Rockets.
Rivalry
The Bowling Green State University Falcons have become Rocket's greatest rival, dating back to 1919. In 1935, UT defeated Falcons in a 63-0 blast, and Toledo fans went crazy causing the outbreak of unrest and destruction. As a result, Bowling Green removed Toledo from their athletic play list until 1947.
When the Rockets return to play against Bowling Green, the Peace Pipe is instituted as a basketball award. There used to be a ceremony involving journalistic organizations from Toledo and Bowling Green at the half of one of the UT-BG basketball games every year. Representatives from each school newspaper smoked a six-foot peace pipe, carved out of wood, with the winning school keeping the pipeline until the following season. Unfortunately in 1969, the tradition suddenly ended when the pipe was stolen from its resting place in the Collegian office. The thief was never caught, nor was there a pipe ever found. The tradition was restored in 1980 for football with a miniature pipe replica of peace resting on a trophy created by Frank Kralik, a former UT footballer, as a tribute to the winner of the annual football match between Toledo and Bowling Green.
Mascot
Rocky the Rocket, the mascot of Toledo University, was created in the academic year 1966-1967 by the committee of Spirits and Traditions, a supplement of the student administration, with various students selected to dress up as mascots for various games. In the fall of 1968, Rocky was taken under the wing of Dan Seemann, Director of Student Activity at the time, and Rocky Rocket First Officer, Bill Navarre, appeared. Navarre took over roles in soccer and basketball games, both at home and abroad, wearing the Rocky the Rocket costume, made by the theater department's tailor: a wastebasket with a pointed rocket top made of papier-mÃÆ'Â ¢ cha. In the past, Rocky was run by the Student Activity office, but is now supported by the Athletics Department. Each student can try in the spring semester to become Rocky for the next year.
The mascot can be seen at various university-sponsored events including parade battles, home and away soccer games, men's and women's basketball games and homecoming parade.
Over the years, Rocky costumes have changed over and over:
- In the early 1970s, Rocky wore a high metal rocket helmet with many different types of jumpsuit clothing, including items such as bell pants.
- In 1977, authentic spaceflight, helmets and boots were donated to the university by NASA Space Center in Houston, Texas with the help of former astronaut and Ohio Senator John Glenn. The space suit is used for football matches, but because of its mass, light replicas are used for the basketball season. Both suits were used until 1980 when Rocky appeared more futuristic.
- Another rocky, very fancy costume with big legs, was introduced in 1983, but was only used until 1986 when a large blue Rocky with smaller legs was unveiled. Throughout the late 80s and most of the 90s only minor changes were made to Rocky costumes.
- In 1998, at the Bowling Green football game, the old Rocky got into the limousine and Rocky just stepped out and featured Rocky's new blue and gold rocket costume, complete with jetpack.
- In 2002, Rocky Rocket assembled was launched in addition to Rocket Rocky men.
- In 2008 Rocketman Rocky and Rocky Rocket were blown retired, and Rocketman Rocky foam just arrived in the Glass Bowl field by motorcycle.
- In 2011, at the home football battle rally, Rocksy, the female version of Rocky 2008, was introduced.
Facilities
The Glass Bowl
Football at The University of Toledo began in 1917 with a loss of 145 to 0 for The University of Detroit. They finished the 0-3 season, scoring from their 262-0 opponents. For twenty years, UT's soccer team moved from one stadium to another stadium including Armory Park, Waite Bowl, Nebraska Avenue, St. John, Swayne Field, and Libbey Stadium.
Finally in 1937, the University of Toledo soccer team lived in his permanent home at Bancroft University Campus. The field construction, arranged in a natural bowl, began in February 1936 as a project of the Job Progress Administration during the Great Depression. The only construction tools are picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows. The original design of the stadium has a seating capacity of 11,000 fans. Now has the capacity to hold 26,248 fans!
The first match at the Rockets stadium was on September 25, 1937. Grass has not been planted around the stadium and there is no path leading to the entrance. So when heavy rain flooded the area, the mud blocked the gate and the match had to be postponed until the following Monday. The Rockets went on to beat Bluffton College, 26-0. The Rockets Stadium is known as the "Glass Bowl" in recognition of Toledo's distinction as the world's glass capital. The stadium was not named "Glass Bowl" until its renovation in 1946. The origin of this name dates from 1946 and a man named Wayne Kohn, an employee of the structural engineering department of Libbey-Owens Ford Glass Co., who suggested a Glass football game Annual Bowl to be played at the Rockets stadium. Three Toledo glass manufacturing companies developed the idea further and with the University sponsored the "Glass Bowl" stadium, which was a stadium renovation by then. The stone structure at the northeast corner and northwest of the Glass Bowl is called Blockhouses. In the past, Blockhouses was used as a home for soccer players. Rockets will stay in the western Blockhouse and the visitors will stay in the eastern Blockhouse. The Glass Bowl is the second oldest stadium in the Mid-American Conference, behind the University of Ohio Peden Stadium. Over the years there have been many renovations done to the Glass Bowl, such as switching from grass to Astroturf in October 1974; built electronic scoreboard in 1975; adding seats in 1972; again adding chairs, press towers, luxury boxes, and Larimer Athletic Complex in 1990, and switched to NeXturf, an artificial surface modeled carefully after the natural grass, in July 2001. The outer walls and the Blockhouse are all that remains of Glass Original Bowl. Stadium.
Arena Savage
Formerly known as Savage Hall, John F. Savage Hall is much more than just the 9,000 UT basketball seating arena. Savage Hall is a multi-purpose building that is used for recreation, concerts and other special events, such as graduation. Arena built in 1976 was originally called Centennial Hall. The hall was renamed John F. Savage Hall on July 13, 1988, in honor of UT's 1952 graduate and strong University motivator, John Savage, who was instrumental in a campaign to raise funds for the arena. Prior to the construction of Savage Hall, a basketball game was played at Field House, the second oldest building on campus. The inaugural men's basketball game played at Centennial Hall against Hoosiers Indiana, who was the national champion of the previous year, ranked # 1 nationally, and on 33 consecutive wins. The hall was filled with over 10,000 fans who came to see the Rockets end Hoosiers' winning streak with a very close score 59-57. The hall has also hosted numerous musical performances over the years including Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Cher, Bush, Matchbox 20, Elton John, Goo Dolls, Sheryl Crow, Boyz II Men, Destiny's Child, Dave Matthew's Bands, Barenaked Ladies, and Elvis. Recently the hall was renovated and renamed the John F. Savage Arena. In the inaugural match the Rockets defeated the University of Massachusetts in match-winning beats to put Toledo ahead with a final score of 57-56.
Scott Park Baseball Complex
Toledo baseball facilities have stadium lighting and a capacity of 1,000 spectators. The dimensions, from left to right, are 330 feet, 400 feet, and 330 feet.
Organization
Marching Band Rocket
The University of Toledo Rocket Marching Band (RMB) is one of the largest, oldest, and most visible student groups on campus. With about 240 members (majoring in Anthropology to Zoology) including musicians, color guards, Rocket Dancing, and feature audiences, marching bands are a source of pride and positive school spirit for the campus, as well as the city of Toledo.
RMB line up in popular skate styles among various marching units (including Drum Corps International). While the band operates in all home football games, it is separate from the Athletics Department and is under the College of Arts and Science's Music Department.
RMB is served by The Beta Rho Chapter from Kappa Kappa Psi - National Honorary (Service) Band Fraternity.
The band is currently under the direction of Andrew Rhodes.
Rockettes
The University of Toledo Dancing Rockettes is the first recognized college dance team in the country. The team debuted on March 16, 1961 at the half-time Kent State-Toledo basketball game. The Dancing Rockettes officially joined The University of Toledo Rocket Marching Band on March 12, 1978.
Songs
Song counter
Dave Connelly, UT's athletic director and baseball coach through the 1930s and 1940s, wrote "U of Toledo" in 1932. Connelly also trains soccer, tracks and boxing. He joined the UT faculty as a professor in 1926, where he remained until his death in 1955. Connelly liked to sing, but never studied music. Apparently, the previous battle song was no longer in use, so he wrote the words for "U of Toledo" and sang a melody for a family friend, Bernie Jones. Jones plays it on the piano and puts it into music. The song was largely unchanged until 1975, when a renowned music professor David Jex set up a version to remove the verse. The current version is compiled by Collins.
Alma mater
"Fair Toledo" was selected from eight entries, sent in UT Alma Mater Song Contest, co-sponsored by the Student Senate and Alumni Association in 1959. The competition was held to replace "Golden and the Blue," set to "Annie Lisle," a songs used by various universities. While driving to work, Gilbert Mohr, an amateur songwriter, heard the contest announced on the radio. Mohr started humming different songs, and then with his wife, Jean Strout, wrote the lyrics we now know as "Fair Toledo". Alma mater debuted at the half-time of the Marshall-Toledo basketball game on March 2, 1959. It has recently become a tradition for students and alumni to stay after the game is over and sing Alma Mater as Rocket Marching Band plays it. While singing, you are encouraged to wrap your arms around Rocket's shoulders and sway from side to side.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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