Colorado State University Athletics
Ag Day: Memories For All Ages
9/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
Imagine yourself on a field of grass under a scorching August sun and though your entire body is aching you have to persevere. This occurrence is just one of many similarities football players and farmers have in common. September 25th will mark Colorado State?s 23rd Annual Ag Day a salute to the hardworking farmers, ranchers, and agriculture related businesses which make up a large portion of Colorado. Agriculture ranks in the top three industries in Colorado. Even the jerseys the players wear on Sonny Lubick Field represent the deep agricultural roots of Colorado State. The University?s official green and gold colors were chosen to reflect the institutions? agriculture heritage.
Newcomers to Hughes stadium might become confused when they look past the stadium and see a giant ?A.? Visitors to Colorado State are probably not well educated upon the history of the institution. The ?A? on the mountain side stands for Aggies, the former nickname of the university. It was not until 1957 when Colorado Agriculture and Mechanical became Colorado State University and adopted the mascot which many know today, ?Cam the Ram.?
The ?A? dates back to 1924 when a group of volunteers gathered together to show their pride in Colorado State?s land grant status by painting an ?A? for Aggies on the foothill near campus. It remains easily visible today and is fully intact at 450? high and 250? wide. The size of the ?A? on the mountain side ranks among the largest in the country. Schools such as BYU and Utah may have their own elaborate version but Colorado State?s remains composed simply of rocks.
It remains unknown to some but Colorado State was the first authorized college in Colorado. It was in 1870 when the territorial council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Colorado created Colorado Agricultural College. During the years when the college was changing nicknames, many students, including former Alumni Association President Bill Woods, would show their school spirit by painting the ?A.?
?We would drive vehicles up to the mountain and use the old ?water and fire? chain to throw buckets upon buckets of paint on the ?A.?? Woods stated reminiscing on his college days.
Surprisingly, there would be some years where the ?A? would go completely unpainted. Around 1980 it was the responsibility of chosen student clubs to paint the ?A.? However some clubs just could not afford the paint or others did not have enough members to continue the long-lasting project. It was not until Mr. Woods, then advisor of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, convinced his members to undertake the tradition. They received assistance once Sonny Lubbick arrived in 1993. Lubbick, always wanting to strengthen his team unity, had an idea to send his freshmen to help with the important task.
It is because of this that the ?A? remains glistening on the mountaintop. Annually, the members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and the freshmen football players embark on an extensive tradition. The task is not only a strong student effort but a town effort as well. To make the ?A? shine, 250 gallons of white paint are donated from Kwal paint. The tools needed, such as spray guns, are also contributed by town businesses RFC and Best Rental.
Activities going on in celebration of the Colorado State background include displays, entertainment and the state?s greatest outdoor barbeque made from quality Colorado products. The proceeds of the barbeque tickets will fund scholarships to Colorado State. Thousands in the stadium this day can look up and bank on memories; alumni can look to their old memories while new students create memories of their own.
by Jose Rosales
Media Relations Intern
