HOMECOMING: Learn about the history of the homecoming tradition and when it started at Poly.
By Mathea Elnar, Focus Editor
For decades, universities and high schools across the U.S. have held various celebrations designed to welcome students, faculty and alumni back for another year. This series of events, known as Homecoming, has historically been centered around a football game and includes parades, rallies, spirit days, speeches, dances and the crowning of a King and Queen. Though the majority of schools today host some sort of homecoming activity, the early 1900s is where it all began.
It is estimated that around 1910, the very first homecoming celebrations were put into effect. However, the exact origin of the homecoming tradition remains subject to debate. Some, including the NCAA, give the credit to the University of Missouri. This claim is supported by the argument that in 1911 the university’s Athletic Director, Chester Brewer, wanted alumni and students to “come home” and show support at the annual football game against the University of Kansas. The events and festivities related to this event are said to have brought in over 10,000 alumni and fans. However, there are some people who disagree and believe that the first homecoming event was held by Baylor University, and still others claim that it was held by the University of Illinois. In fact, the University of Illinois even claims to possess the longest streak of homecoming traditions. This school states that it has hosted homecoming events every year since 1910, skipping only 1918 because the influenza epidemic prevented people from gathering in large quantities.
As years passed and football became popular in schools across the nation, homecoming began to increase in popularity as well. More and more schools began to incorporate it into their annual traditions and by the 1920s, it was widespread among colleges and universities. This American tradition even began to spread to other countries such as Canada.
Despite this apparent popularity, the first time a homecoming event was featured in the Poly yearbook was in 1947. This particular game was against Pacific High School and a “Football Queen” was crowned at halftime along with four princesses. According to the yearbook, festivities that followed this game only included a carnival, which is a sharp contrast to the multitude of events that Poly hosts today, such as the carnival, the parade, homecoming court, the dance, the lip-sync contest and an assembly.
Traditionally, homecoming has been centered around the football game; however, there are other events that take place in order to stir up school spirit and excitement. Thus, the homecoming court was created in the 1930s. Originally, the King and Queen was chosen based on who rode the best float. This part of the tradition has been altered so that people are nominated based on their personal character, who they are as people and how much they contribute to the school.
However, the float-making competition is still extremely heated. Floats are designed for the homecoming parade and can be driven through parking lots, the school campus or a main street. At Poly, for example, the floats are designed by the students, one for each class, and then paraded down Central Ave, where people can choose which class made the best float.
There are some homecoming traditions that seem to have died out over the years, however. Historically, an iconic figure of homecoming was the large three-foot-long chrysanthemum-“mum” for short. These creatively decorated flowers were individually specialized and could even reflect a person’s interests or hobbies. These blossoms could weigh up to 12 pounds! Overtime, however, the exchanging of mums has evolved into the practice of exchanging corsages or garters instead, mostly in southwestern states.
Overall, homecoming has proven itself to be a prominent aspect of American educational systems and a great social event. It not only unites people and encourages everyone to come together to celebrate a new year, but also encourages school pride and creates a festive spirit.