Name: Ted Bauer
Website: A Price Above Bip Roberts
Your School: Georgetown University
Location: Washington, DC
School Colors: Blue and Gray
School Mascot: Hoya, or “bulldog”
Do outsiders “get” your mascot? “Hoya” apparently is Latin for “what,” because the phrase “Hoya Saxa” means “What Rocks.” That’s frequently chanted at school events. However, over time it’s come to be represented by a small bulldog.
Fight Song: The line most take away from it is “It’s been so long since last we met.” The hook involves the phrase “Lie down forever, lie down.” It concludes with a vigorous “HOYA SAXA!” Link
Traditions: I can’t think of anything extremely specific to Georgetown; that’s kind of depressing. The two most popular chants are “Hoya Saxa!” and “We are… Georgetown!”
Geographical Features: It’s situated in a very posh area of Northwest DC, yet maintains the charm of a city school. There are large wrought iron gates at the entrance to the school and majestic buildings rising around a central area in the front.
Architectural Features: As noted above, the geography is very majestic, steeples-and-spiral-topped buildings. Some of the older apartment complexes for students are made entirely of exposed brick, which is vaguely cool.
Any famous alumni? Bill Clinton was ‘68. In terms of sports, a number of basketball players – Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing, Dikeme Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, etc. Paul Tagliabue also went there.
Anything else we should know? The best school there is. Ha. In all seriousness, I believe it’s the oldest Jesuit institution in our proud country. Also, being in DC, there’s obviously strong political ties to Georgetown. According to rumor, every graduating class between ‘68 and ‘76 (but I could be wrong) has at least 4 people in Congress. At one point, ‘68 had produced three different world leaders.
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Hoya is Classical Greek not Latin for “what”. Saxa is the Latin plural of rock or boulder. The headline Hoya Saxa was a play on words written at a time when Latin and Greek were required courses.