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Top College Fight Songs

List produced by the Experts more info

  • University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY): "On, On, U of K"
  • University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN): "Notre Dame Victory March" ("the best-known and perhaps the most-borrowed")
  • University of Michigan — Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI): "The Victors" ("most rousing and stunning; a very proud song")
  • University of Wisconsin — Madison (Madison, WI): "On Wisconsin" ("smooth and much-borrowed old classic")
  • Yale University (New Haven, CT): "Down The Field" ("another smooth and much-borrowed old classic")
  • United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD): "Anchors Aweigh" ("very dynamic and uplifting")
  • University of Maine (Orono, ME): "The Maine Stein Song" ("great melody, but it's a drinking song")
  • University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA): "Fight on, USC" ("brilliant, sparkling, and innovative")
  • Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA): "Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" ("fine tune; great sense of humor")
  • The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX): "The Eyes of Texas" ("tune borrowed from 'I've been working on the railroad,' but has a lot of sweep and energy")
  • Ohio State University — Columbus (Columbus, OH): "Across the Field" ("smooth and active; takes one pleasantly across the field")
  • University of Minnesota — Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN): "Minnesota Rouser" ("dynamic and rousing, as the title suggests")
  • Indiana University Bloomington (Bloomington, IN): "Indiana, Our Indiana" ("tugs at the heart while causing foot-tapping")
  • University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (Champaign, IL): "Illinois Loyalty" ("smooth, sensitive, and flowing")
  • Washington and Lee University (Lexington, VA): "Washington & Lee Swing" ("very catchy and likable; well-named")
  • University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA): "Fight on, Pennsylvania" ("creative and different from the rest of the pack")
  • University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK): "Boomer Sooner" ("borrowed from 'Yale Boola,' but rocks the stadium")
  • University of Georgia (Athens, GA): "Glory, Glory to Old Georgia" ("uses the rouser 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' as a tune; a passing mention to the University of Colorado, which also uses the tune for its 'Glory, Glory, Colorado' ")
  • United States Air Force Academy (USAF Academy, CO): "U.S. Air Force Song" ("excellent uplifting march; also used as the Air Force's song")
  • United States Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT): "Semper Paratus" ("lesser-known but quite stirring march; also used as the Coast Guard's song")
  • Clemson University (Clemson, SC): "Clemson Fight Song" ("uses the delightful 'Tiger Rag' as its tune")
  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (Knoxville, TN): "Down the Field" ("uses the exact same title and tune as Yale's 'Down the Field': F for originality, but A+ for taste")
  • United States Military Academy (West Point, NY): "On, Brave Old Army Team" ("We don't want to forget the Army; a good song with one terrific passage")
  • Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL): "Huskie Fight Song" ("lively and distinctive")
  • Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): "Far Above the Cayuga's Wasters" ("This is really an alma mater rather than a fight song, but is such a collegiate classic, how can one overlook it? If played with a lively enough tempo, it becomes a pretty good fight song")
  • Furman University (Greenville, SC): "Our Director March" ("These three universities all use this excellent tune, but not always as a fight song; if the melody had a clearer institutional identify, it would be in the top fifteen. Many other schools also use the tune, including the University of Southern California, for its 'Victory Song'"
  • Harvard University (Cambridge, MA): "Our Director March" ("These three universities all use this excellent tune, but not always as a fight song; if the melody had a clearer institutional identify, it would be in the top fifteen. Many other schools also use the tune, including the University of Southern California, for its 'Victory Song'"
  • Rice University (Houston, TX): "Our Director March" ("These three universities all use this excellent tune, but not always as a fight song; if the melody had a clearer institutional identify, it would be in the top fifteen. Many other schools also use the tune, including the University of Southern California, for its 'Victory Song'"
  • University of Oregon (Eugene, OR): "Mighty Oregon" ("a very smooth song")

Honorable Mentions

Notable or Exceptional Songs in Order of Superiority

Source: "College Fight Songs II: A Supplementary Anthology," Binghamton, The Haworth Press, Inc.

Want more information on how this list was compiled? Find out more about where our Lists & Rankings come from.

About This List

These songs make opponents cower in fear at sporting events! Well, maybe not, but they'll at least pump up the crowd. William E. Studwell and Bruce R. Schueneman, authors of College Fight Song II, A Supplementary Anthology, rated these college fight songs.

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