Marshall has been around since 1837, and in nearly 200 years it’s built traditions that shape what it feels like to be a student here. Some go back almost a century, while others are annual events you’ll find yourself looking forward to every year. Here’s a glimpse at what you’ll encounter throughout the year.
Game Day and School Spirit
Home football games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium come with their own set of rituals worth knowing.
- Thunder Walk. Before each home game, the football team walks through a crowd of cheering tailgaters on the way to the stadium. It’s worth showing up early to line the route.
- “Sons of Marshall.” Written in 1935, the school’s official fight song kicks off every home game when the 300-member Marching Thunder takes the field.
- “We Are…Marshall.” A crowd chant that started at the old Fairfield Stadium in the 1980s, it has since become the rallying cry of the entire Marshall community. By your first home game, you’ll know it.
Annual Traditions
A handful of events anchor the Marshall calendar year after year.
- President’s Freshman Convocation. Before fall classes begin, the incoming class gathers for a photo in front of the John Marshall statue, then walks with the president to the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center for a ceremony marking the official start of their time at Marshall.
- Annual Fountain Ceremony. On November 14 of each year, the Marshall community gathers at the Memorial Fountain to honor the 75 people lost in the 1970 plane crash. The fountain water goes quiet during the service and stays silent until spring.
- Constitution Week and Quoits. Each September, Marshall honors its namesake, John Marshall, fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, with lectures, an essay competition and a quoits tournament. Quoits, similar to horseshoes but played with iron rings, was reportedly one of John Marshall’s favorite pastimes.
- International Festival. This is a free, public event held each November for more than 50 years featuring international food, music and cultural displays from around the world.
- Alpha Xi Delta Strawberry Breakfast. Held each April since 1951, this campus event serves more than 1,000 meals, including pancakes, eggs, sausage, biscuits and chocolate-covered strawberries. The best part? The homemade strawberry butter!
Campus Lore Worth Knowing
Marshall’s identity is tied to a few things worth knowing before you arrive.
- The Thundering Herd. The nickname almost didn’t stick. In the 1930s, “Boogercats” was a serious contender. Ultimately, students voted to make Thundering Herd the official nickname in 1965, along with the buffalo as the mascot and green and white as the school colors.
- Marco the Bison. Marshall’s beloved mascot has been around since the 1930s. The name Marco comes from “Marshall College.”
- Marshall Artists Series. Dating to 1936, it’s the second-oldest college-town arts and entertainment series in the country, hosted at the historic Keith Albee Performing Arts Center in downtown Huntington.
Marshall’s traditions are a big part of what shapes the community here. You’ll start discovering them from the moment you set foot on campus.
Plan your visit today and see it for yourself.