Traditions at Arizona State University

True Sun Devils bleed maroon and gold. They embrace the challenges of today’s world, — oftentimes effecting changes themselves to make a better world – while holding true to revered traditions that have brought ASU, from its humble beginnings as a territorial school in 1885, to become the nation’s largest university today.

Maroon and Gold
Sparky
“A” Mountain
Whitewashing “A” Mountain
Homecoming
Lantern Walk
Anything But Casual Fridays
Gold Rush
The Victory Bell

Maroon and Gold
Since 1896, gold has been the prominent color for ASU. The color was chosen for the golden promise, treasure and sunshine offered by the then Arizona Territory. In 1898, maroon and white were added to the scheme as part of the football team’s uniform, but gold still stands as ASU’s prominent color.

Sparky
Sparky the Sun Devil became the official mascot by a student vote in 1946. The image of Sparky was created by Bert Anthony, an artist who at one time worked for Disney Studios.

“A” Mountain
For close to a hundred years, a letter has stood on Tempe butte but it wasn’t always “A.” The first letter on Tempe Butte was a 36-foot tall “N” in 1918, which stood for Tempe Normal School. When the school changed its name to Tempe State Teachers College in 1925, the letter was changed to “T”. Three years later, the school became known as Arizona State Teachers College but the letter was not changed to “A” until 1938, where it stood until a bomb blast destroyed the letter in 1952. The present “A” was built using reinforced steel and concrete in 1955 and measures 60-feet tall.

Whitewashing “A” Mountain
It began in the 1930s as part of Orientation and continues to this day as an annual tradition where the freshman class hikes "A" Mountain and whitewashes the coveted letter gold during Welcome Week, indicating the commencement of another year at Arizona State University.

Homecoming
Every fall since 1924, Homecoming FestDevil has brought alumni, students, friends and community supporters together to celebrate the traditions, pride, friendships and experiences that are all part of ASU life. The Homecoming Parade is a popular, time-honored event that draws large crowds to downtown Tempe where hundreds of campus clubs, organizations, and local businesses display their floats. In 2003, ASU held its first Homecoming Block Party for the ASU and surrounding community, and the parade was incorporated into the Block Party together with tents for the various colleges, reunion classes and campus organizations, alongside many other activities.

Lantern Walk
The Lantern Walk began in 1917 as a symbolic passing of the torch from the senior class to the junior class. Each senior was provided a paper lantern, and the class climbed to the top of the butte while the juniors followed in darkness. Upon reaching the summit, the juniors formed a semicircle around the seniors. Each class president spoke and class songs were sung. Then the seniors passed their lanterns to the juniors and walked down the butte in darkness. The junior class then carried their lanterns down the mountain, having received the duty to maintain the honor of their school. Since 1990, the Lantern Walk has become a tradition on the Friday night of Homecoming weekend. ASU students, alumni, faculty and staff carry lanterns to the summit of Tempe butte. In this way, they honor their alma mater, as did the class of 1917.

Anything But Casual Fridays
In 2003, this new tradition to “turn up the heat” made Fridays anything but casual. All students, staff and faculty members are encouraged to wear ASU colors every Friday as an expression of Sun Devil spirit and pride.

Gold Rush
The Gold Rush can be found at all ASU athletic events when the student section becomes a sea of solid gold due to the long-established tradition that all students wear gold to show their school spirit and support.

The Victory Bell
The Victory Bell, found just outside the southeast entrance to Sun Devil Stadium, was a gift to ASU students from Judge Ross F. Jones in the late 1960s. Ringing the bell calls students and fans to the stadium before each football game. After victories, the number of rings equals the number of points scored by the Sun Devils. The historic bell weighs more than 2000 pounds and is believed to have come from Michigan on one of the freight shipments to Winslow via the Santa Fe Railway around 1879.