Homecoming

Homecoming is a tradition celebrated by educational institutions to welcome back former students and inspire school spirit among current students. Homecoming is a tradition primarily carried out by high schools and colleges and involves events such as parades, pep rallies, tailgates, bonfires, and dances. Most homecoming celebrations revolve around an important athletic competition, normally a football game. Homecoming origins date back to the mid- to late nineteenth century. Several educational institutions have taken credit for holding the first homecoming celebration, but the University of Missouri is most often given credit for hosting the first homecoming in 1911. Since the early 1900s, homecoming traditions have spread to every state in the United States and parts of Canada.

Background

The tradition of homecoming originated at alumni sporting events, particularly football games held at colleges and universities beginning in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Several universities claim to have held the country’s first homecoming celebration. The origins of homecoming remain a subject of debate, but many consider Baylor University, the University of Missouri, and the University of Illinois as the most likely frontrunners. The early homecoming events of these institutions featured several commonalities that define modern homecoming, including a special football game, a parade, a rally, and a dance, typically celebrated during the week or weekend of the final home game of the season or an important rivalry game. The celebrations were meant to bring together students and school alumni and instill a sense of school pride among the community.

The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) has given the title of homecoming originator to the University of Missouri. Popular quiz games such as the TV quiz show Jeopardy and the trivia board game Trivial Pursuit have also named the University of Missouri as the institution that started the homecoming tradition. In 1911, the University of Missouri’s athletic director Chester Brewer contacted the school’s alumni asking them to “come home” for the annual game against rival football team the University of Kansas. The game was meant to also serve as an inaugural celebration honoring Missouri’s new football field. Brewer organized a celebration complete with a parade, a pep rally, a bonfire, and parties, culminating in the football game against the University of Kansas. More than 10,000 people attended Missouri’s inaugural homecoming event.

Although the University of Missouri is generally acknowledged to be the official beginner of homecoming traditions, Baylor University and the University of Illinois had actually organized similar events a few years prior to Missouri’s inaugural celebration. In 1909, Baylor University invited its alumni to the campus to catch up with old friends and reminisce about their college experiences together. This event was called “Good Will Week” and involved a number of entertaining activities such as concerts, a dance, a parade, and a football game. More than 5,000 people attended the football game for Good Will Week. A similar event occurred at the University of Illinois the following year. Two college seniors organized an alumni event situated around the annual Illinois-Chicago rival football game. The seniors hoped to boost school spirit with the event, which would hopefully lead to the end of Illinois’ seven-year-long losing streak against the University of Chicago. The inaugural University of Illinois homecoming was a major success with 12,000 alumni attending the football game, which Illinois won.

Overview

The success of these early homecoming events influenced other schools to start their own homecoming traditions. By the 1920s, homecoming celebrations had expanded across multiple states and were quickly becoming an American tradition. Homecoming even spread to secondary educational institutions as high schools began incorporating their own homecoming celebrations.

Over the decades, homecoming events have combined a variety of traditions designed to boost school spirit among current and former students. A long-standing tradition includes the selection of a homecoming court. The court is a group of students nominated by the entire student body. From this group, a king and a queen are selected through the process of voting, or in the event that the institution is all-male or all-female, a king or a queen is selected without a court. The students who are nominated for these positions are usually in their final year of education. Announcement of the winners is often staged at a pep rally or during the homecoming football game itself. Schools will often invite the previous year’s winners to crown the new winners.

Another prominent homecoming tradition is the homecoming parade. The school’s marching band marches in the parade and plays music as the procession travels through town or around the football field. Sports teams are featured in the parade, as are the school’s homecoming court nominees. Many parades include floats related to school spirit and notable alumni.

Other homecoming traditions are pep rallies and bonfires. Schools hold a pep rally during the week of homecoming. The rally includes inspirational speeches and can also feature comedic skits, games, performances, and recognition of school organizations, clubs, and teams. Attention is also paid to the football team during a pep rally, and sometimes the football coach will give a motivational speech to further boost school spirit. A pep rally sometimes ends with a bonfire, which is a large fire built in a nearby field. Students have been known to toss into the bonfire items related to the rival football team, such as uniforms and helmets.

Schools may also hold a homecoming dance for students, which is a formal occasion similar to a prom. This event often bookends a week known as “Spirit Week,” during which school spirit-building activities are held, such as dress-up days and school picnics. Dress-up days may include themes such as twin day, pirate day, cowboy day, or superhero day. Spirit week leads up to the homecoming dance and the much-anticipated football game.

Sometimes, reunions to high schools or universities and colleges are linked to homecoming week or weekend. This ensures that alumni are present and can experience some of the most spirit-filled days of a school's year. Classes who graduated five, ten, twenty, or thirty years prior and beyond can establish their own events and also intermingle with the planned homecoming events. Schools often work with the local community to help alumni visitors find lodging and coordinate events.

Bibliography

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