"Hail to Old OSU" is the fight song of Oregon State University. It is extracted from a song written by Harold A. Wilkins in 1914 and is played mainly at sporting events like football and basketball games. The lyrics have been slightly altered since being written "to conform to a changing culture", changing to conform to new initials (O.A.C. became O.S.C., and later, O.S.U.), and the use of a more gender-neutral version. The music and lyrics were copyrighted in 1914 and are now public domain.

History

The original song

The OSU fight song is the chorus of a song penned by Harold A. Wilkins, "Hail to Old OAC: A Rooter's Song." Wilkins was himself a member of the Oregon Agricultural College's graduating class of 1907. The original song contains two verses and a chorus. The original lyrics are as follows:

Today's fight song

Oregon State's Fight Song is a modified version of the chorus from "Hail to Old OAC," followed by a chant ("O-S-U Fight B-E-A-V-E-R-S") backed by drums, and a repeat of the second half of the chorus. No verse is sung. The Oregon State University Alumni Association, at the time owners of all rights to the song, modified the words of the Fight Song in the 1980s to be gender neutral. The most commonly accepted lyrics today are: