"Rival" Terminology
Note: The following section has nothing to do with the noble group
of Native Americans known as Utes. For serious information about the Ute
Indians, Click Here.
In contrast, the following document is a lighthearted look at the
nickname "Utes" as applied to the University of Utah. It is written
in the spirit of good fun, and is meant to be taken with a very large grain of
salt. (In fact, I wouldn't believe a word of it.)
"Rival" Terminology: How collegiate rivals refer to
the Utes
The Utes of the University of Utah are proud of their nickname, and always
show proper reverence and respect for the term "Utes." However, this
is not always the case with the fans of their two major intra-state rivals:
namely, the Cougars of Brigham Young University and the Aggies of Utah State
University. The fans at each of these schools have developed unique ways of
referring to the Utes (in a derogatory manner), and the following is a
lighthearted attempt at explaining these colloquialisms.
- Utah State Terminology
- At Utah State, they like to refer to the Utes as Ewettes, and they refer to
the school as Ewetah or the Ewe. And for those familiar with the educational
history of this region, it is easy to see why this is the case. Utah State was
founded as the state agricultural college, and with such a strong agricultural
background, it is easy to see why their students have become so fixated on
sheep. Of course they are familiar with many other animals too, but the sheep
holds a special place in the heart of most USU students. Being able to
"talk sheep" is a sign of great status among the students and alumni,
and so referring to a Ute as some kind of female sheep is a sure way for an
Aggie fan to gain the respect of his peers.
- BYU Terminology
- At BYU, they like to refer to the Utes as Yootz or Yewtz, and they refer to
the school as Yewtah, the Yoo, or occasionally even the Yew of Yoo. The reason
for this is simple: these words all contain the capital letter Y. At BYU, there
is a tremendous psychological fixation with this particular letter of the
alphabet. They wear it on hats, sweatshirts, football helmets, and even on
flags (although these are currently considered very dangerous and have been
recently outlawed). In fact, historical legend holds that, at one time, the
citizens of Utah County (where BYU is located) petitioned the federal
government to change the alphabet so that the letter Y was the first letter.
When this request was refused, many educators at BYU rebelled and began
teaching their version of the alphabet any way. And to this day, there are
still students who, upon leaving BYU, become shocked to discover where the
letter Y actually resides in the alphabet (especially when they learn it comes
after the letter U). Many of these people fall into a tragic state of denial,
complaining incessantly that they are "right" and everyone else is
"wrong." Thus, they have become classified appropriately as
"Y-ners."
..or, then again, maybe not.
-- GO UTES !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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