Curious Iowa: How did Iowa’s public universities get their colors?

IOWA CITY — Before black and gold became synonymous with the University of Iowa, and Iowa State University painted its campus in cardinal red, the University of Northern Iowa actually boasted red among its colors and ISU adopted black, gold and silver as its school hues.

“The college colors are thought by all to be a wise choice and the committee deserve our praise,” according to an article in what was the ISU student paper in 1891, justifying the choice then of silver, gold and black with symbolic reasons for each.

Silver recognized the mechanical department; gold signified the golden harvest; and black denoted “death, assigned to the Vet Department, who kill but never cure.”

Fast forward 135 years, and the campus colors of Iowa’s public universities are so inextricably tied to their brands that few know why UNI’s panther is purple, when ISU’s campus went red and how the UI chose its iconic black and gold. ‘

‘Old Gold’

In a senior class meeting on the UI campus in spring 1887 — 40 years after the institution’s founding — student Marvin H. Dey lamented, “We are sadly behind the times” in the matter of adopting “college colors” and a “college yell.”

So Dey agreed to chair a committee, which later recommended “gold” as the official UI color. And during a mass meeting at which the color was officially adopted, a girl wearing a bow of “old gold” ribbon tore it up into small pieces and passed it around for consideration of the style of gold they should use.

“The sample color soon became a general favorite,” according to an article in The Palimpsest, a historical magazine published by the State Historical Society of Iowa, quoting a UI newspaper at the time. “Bows and scraps of old-gold ribbon are now the common adornment of UI youth and maid.”

A month later, for a baseball game between the UI and Cornell College in Mount Vernon, the town reported its entire stock of old-gold ribbon was sold out to UI students wanting to adorn their hats, buttonholes, canes and umbrellas.

“Some even tied the ribbon about their graceful limbs at the bottom of their knickerbockers,” according to The Palimpsest.

Despite the old-gold aspiration, UI supporters found it hard to track down the specific shade of ribbon — entering a range of yellows and oranges in the 1890s and compelling the campus newspaper in 1894 to sponsor an election as to “whether gold or old gold was to be the color worn by university students at the state field meet.”

Two days later, the votes were in: “Old gold wins,” by a count of 213 to 98.

In the decades that followed, the official UI color of old gold increasingly was combined with black as an accent or highlight hue.

And in the 1920s, the UI varsity football team wore a black jersey with gold trim and old gold pants, matching their old-gold helmets.

Cardinal sweater

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After the UI identified gold as its school color — but before the old-gold vote of 1894 — ISU in 1891 selected gold, silver and black to be its official colors, representing the agricultural, mechanical and veterinary strengths of its campus.

But the colors proved problematic — primarily when it came to sweater dye for the sports teams.

“The matter of colors has proven a stumbling block and this is not to be wondered at,” the student newspaper reported in 1899, following up on a rumor the ISU colors “are soon to be changed.”

“As we have stated before, the silver, gold, and black are approaching their last days. They are pretty, but absolutely impossible to use in any way that would uniform our athletes.”

Letting athletics guide the selection, the newspaper said, “The colors adopted for a college athletic team determine what shall be the colors of the college.”

And because cardinal red proved better than gold, silver and black “in the dying of a sweater,” ISU swapped its colors in October 1899.

“At Thursday’s council meeting the special committee appointed to investigate and report on suitable colors for the sweaters, reported in favor of a cardinal sweater with a gold letter,” the newspaper reported that fall. “This is a commendable improvement and makes a distinctive and striking set of colors.”

Purple and gold

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Meanwhile in Cedar Falls — with ISU and the UI both boasting some form of gold for their school colors — the Iowa State Normal School, which would become UNI, was asking, “Have we any school colors?”

Although the student newspaper in 1894 suggested committees should form to choose both school colors and a “Normal yell,” no action was taken.

“No one seemed especially interested in the matter and nothing was done about it,” according to a newspaper editorial in June 1895, arguing, “While some may consider these things as having no special interest in themselves, they have to be customary and we should concur with the custom so long as there is no evil to come from such concurrence. Some action should be taken at once.”

And later that year, UNI moved forward in pursuing the selection of colors.

“It will be some time, no doubt, before a conclusion is reached,” the paper reported. “But when this is done, there will be a permanent establishment of colors — not the transient ever-fleeting show to which we have been accustomed.”

The following year brought big news: “It was decided to adopt three colors for the school colors.” They were purple, crimson and white.

“All undergraduates will wear a rosette and streamers of the three colors,” according to the paper, noting, “The colors were not chosen without thought and deliberation, therefore it is to be hoped the choice will be satisfactory and that the students will prove their loyalty to the (Normal School) by wearing the white, crimson, and royal purple.”

But within three years, a student newspaper editorial called for change — criticizing the “blendless” hues originally chosen.

“A few years ago someone in some unknown way managed to combine three colors — each of which, we imagine, belonged to some minor organization — and suggested that they be adopted as our school emblems,” according to the editorial.

“Not thinking that the Normal School would ever be given an opportunity for waving her colors, they were adopted and immediately laid to rest,” the paper reported, adding, “This is the predicament we are found in today. Too many blendless colors and some kindergarten yell.”

Arguing, “We need the change badly, we need it right away,” the paper called for a contest to initiate new colors and a new yell. And a meeting on the issue attracted a nearly full chapel of students with opinions.

“What other meeting ever held at that hour, or any other, in the history of the school brought out such a large concourse of students?” asked the paper. “With but few exceptions, the entire body was in favor of change.”

And in April 1899, the paper reported “few dissenting votes” for the chosen colors: purple and gold.

“Do not let it be said by anyone that because these are not the ones you wished to have selected, you will in no case participate,” according to the paper. “In this, as in everything else, the majority rules. These are now the established emblems of the school. Your loyalty now demands your observance.”

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Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com