Cal Poly Fight Song
Ride High You Mustangs

Ride High You Mustangs,
Kick the frost out burn the breeze,
Ride High You Mustangs,
The bow wows we'll knock to their knees
Hi Ki Yi
Ride High You Mustangs
Chin the moon and do it right
Ride High and cut a rusty
Fight! Fight! Fight!



Alma Mater
All Hail Green and Gold

All Hail Green and Gold
May your praises e'er be told
Of friendship and of courage
And stalwart sons of old
All Hail Green and Gold
In your name we shall prevail
So to California Polytechnic
Hail! Hail! Hail!



Yea Poly

On Pacific shores, 'neath Bishop Peak
Along the serene San Luis Creek
Lies our alma mater, grand as can be!
Many a foe will stalk her ground
But we, mighty Mustangs, won't be found
But valiantly marching to victory!
Strike up the band for all to hear!
For our alma mater sing and cheer!
Ride high and she'll never fail!
Banners of green and gold will raise
And so will the echoes of her praise
For Cal Poly will prevail!
YEA POLY!

The Golden Horseshoe

Cal Poly and UC Davis are both agricultural based universities creating many similarities.  The Mustang Maniacs and Aggie Pack have had a friendly rivalry for years, and in 2003-04 began a tradition involving the exchange of the Golden Horseshoe.  Davis agreed to build a base for the trophy, while Cal Poly constructed the Golden Horseshoe.  There was a misunderstanding and both UC Davis and Cal Poly made a Golden Horseshoe Trophy.  It was then decided that the winning team from the innaugural game in 2004 would choose the trophy.  UC Davis won the game; therefore, the UC Davis trophy has been traded ever since.  Cal Poly has won three consecutive Golden Horseshoe games.

Horseshoe Game Results
2004 UC Davis 36 Cal Poly 33 @ Cal Poly
2005 UC Davis 20 Cal Poly 13 @ UC Davis
2006 Cal Poly 23 UC Davis 17 @ Cal Poly
2007 Cal Poly 63 UC Davis 28 @ UC Davis
2008 Cal Poly 51 UC Davis 28 @ Cal Poly

 
Keys at Kick-Off

Prior to every kick off, Mustang fans stand up and shake their keys to start things up for the special teamers of Cal Poly.

The Victory Bell

The Poly Victory Bell was cast in 1899.  It spent a number of years in the tower of a one-room schoolhouse in the San Joaquin Valley until it was obtained by the California Polytechnic State University in the early 1950s.

In approximately 1956, the Bell became the symbol of the intense rivalry between Cal Poly and  Fresno State.  The Bell was awarded to the winner of the annual football game, and was retained by the team until the winner of the next contest was determined.

Part of the rivalry included attempts to "steal" the Bell from the current possessors prior to the schools' next meeting.  Due to the over-zealous nature of some of the attempts, the Victory Bell exchange was cancelled in 1975.

In 1977, the Bell was stolen one last time from a Mustang Stadium storage unit.  It was returned a short time later wearing Fresno's colors of red and blue.  Since that time, the bell has retained its rightful place on the sidelines of Mustang Stadium where it rings out the scores of the Mustang Football Team.

Over the years, the responsibility for the bell has been entrusted to the University's spirit groups including Rally Club, Running Thunder, and currently, the Mustang Maniacs.

The Cal Poly "P"

Legacy of the Cal Poly "P"

As far as anyone can remember there has been a Poly "P" at least since 1919.  From the days when Poly was an all boys school to the day that Poly was recognized as a university, the "P" has stood its vigilant watch over the campus from Poly Hill.

How it got there and why are simple enough. The student body and the administration wanted a landmark to represent Poly to the outside world. Much thought was given to the idea of whether to use a water-tower with a "P" painted on it (which during those days was a very popular thing to do) or having a giant "P" on the hill. The "P" on the hill finally won due to the expensive price of water-towers. So the "P" was strategically placed so one could see it from the then new Highway 101, the new administration building (now Business Administration and Education), and from a passing airplane.

However, the "P" we see today is not the same sentinel that graced the side of Poly Hill at the time of our grandfathers. In fact the first recorded "P" to ever grace the hillside was made of simple whitewashed stones. In time stones became more trouble than they where worth. During the rains they would wash away and there was always the constant problem the local youth throwing the stones down the hill.

The second "P" was constructed by the Block "P" club. It was made of old whitewashed barn doors secured to the hill side. However this was short lived for on one night a couple of years later a group of high school students smashed the wooden structure , doused the pieces with gasoline, kerosene, cheap beer, and anything else flammable and lit it in effigy. The next day the sun rose with no "P", a small group of very frightened high school kids, and plans to make a more permanent structure on the hill side.

For the immediate time the "P" was reconstructed from wood until all the necessary plans where made to place the first concrete "P" on the Hill. This "P" was also built by the Block "P" club and was overseen by Harry Wineroth (the student body president ). This new "P" was 40 feet tall and 30 feet wide, almost 5 feet larger in both directions than its predecessors.

It was decided that the maintenance of the "P" would be a contest between the Sophomore and Freshman classes, the loser being the one who maintains the structure. This grudge match was dubbed "the Freshman-Sophomore Brawl". It consisted of events such as tug of war, greased pole climbs, three legged races, wheelbarrow races, dance contest, talent shows, and something dealing with a balloon the size of a VW bug. As expected the Sophomores almost always won so the "P" was left in the capable hands of the Freshmen.

By 1956, the "P" was in shambles, some blamed it on the high school kids, some blamed it on the rain, but most blamed it on the Freshmen. No matter who was responsible for the damage the "P", one thing was clear, it needed to be repaired. In stepped the social fraternity Delta Sigma Phi and a group of agriculture engineering majors to tackle the task. On may third, 1957 they finished construction of the new "P". This one being 50 feet long and 35 wide can still be seen on Poly Hill to this day.

Toward the end of the 50's the Freshman - Sophomore Brawl was impractical due to the size of the school, hence the "P" was paying the price. Enter the Rally Club, Poly' spirit organization. The group picked up the reins and began maintenance of the "P" and started a fine tradition - the lighting of the "P". On the day before a football game the Rally club would drag a generator up to the "P" and light it. The following night if Poly won the game the lighted "P" would be replaced with a V for victory. This continued up until the late 70s/early 80s when the Rally Club was disbanded due to lack of interest.

For almost 13 years the "P" stood on the hill with no caretakers. Various sorority and fraternity worked the maintenance of the "P" into their pledging and rushing but that was not enough. Time and vandalism took their toll on the "P", the most notorious of which was when a student took a sledge hammer to it and broke off 6 feet.

Running Thunder Steps Up
In 1994 Running Thunder took responsibility of the "P". Derek Marin, the first "Mr. P", was Running Thunder's tireless keeper of the famed Cal Poly P. He spent thousands of hours cleaning, painting, and lighting the most notable of Cal Poly historic icons. He trekked up to the P, dragging a gas powered generator, donated by Sand's Liquor and Deli, during every home football game to light it up for all of San Luis Obispo to see. His vast efforts have helped keep this most important of Cal Poly landmarks in stable and awe-inspiring condition.

In recent years, the "P" has begun a downward slide due to the slope of the hill and is suffering from some stress fractures from the movement. The "P" has been accepted to the National Register of Historic Places and as such enjoys legal protection from demolition, but at some point major efforts will be needed to stabilize this legacy.