Lost Homecoming tradition: pushball

Katherine Klingseis

Men’s and women’s residence halls formed 12-person teams, consisting of freshmen and sophomores, to push a 4-foot diameter leather-covered ball from one sideline to another to score goals. 

Pushball occurred during pep rallies, along with the “Yell Like Hell” finals. 

Pushball became a tradition in 1909 and continued until 1927. It was then revived in 1978 by the Homecoming Committee. The game was eliminated a decade later.