University of Houston - Traditions

Traditions

The seal of the University of Houston, officially adopted in 1938, is a stylized version of the coat-of-arms of General Sam Houston. The first official version was placed on the floor of the Roy Gustav Cullen Building.

The official colors of the University of Houston are scarlet red and albino white. These were the colors of Sam Houston's ancestor, Sir Hugh, and were adopted by UH at the same time as the official seal. Scarlet red symbolizes courage or inner strength to face the unknown, and white symbolizes the goodness and purity of spirit embodied in helping one's fellow man.

The school's official mascot is a cougar, which was adopted in 1947 and later named Shasta. The university had a live cougar, but the tradition ended in 1989.

The Frontiersmen is a group of students who participate in university events to drive school spirit. At football games, the Frontiersmen—donning cowboy hats, Wrangler Jeans, and dusters for attire—run across the field with the university's flag and the Flag of Texas after each score.

Frontier Fiesta—a re-creation of a 19th-century Western town, with music, food and historical exhibits—is a major event on campus each spring semester. The student led festival is a part of a long-standing tradition at UH dating back to the 1940s.

The BLAZE is an oil field warning siren that was chosen to represent the university’s ties to the petroleum industry. The purchase of the siren was completed in 1991. The Sigma Chi Fraternity has been in charge of the siren and gave it the name “The BLAZE” in honor of its fallen brother, David Blazek.

Cougar First Impressions—a program headed by the UH Staff Council—takes place every year on the first two days of classes, when faculty and staff turn out to welcome new and returning students.