What does ‘horns down’ mean in college football?

Any time the Texas Longhorns are on a college football field, fans in the opposite stands are throwing down ‘horns down’ left and right.

The Red River Rivalry in college football between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners has been intense since the 1960s.

Decades of blood, sweat, and tears from both sides have gone into the dream of hoisting the Governors’ Trophy up after defeating their most rivaled opponent. Endless taunting and mocking has been part of the Sooners and Longhorns’ heated relationship as well, and one thing that was birthed from all that hostile dialogue is the ‘horns down’ gesture.

The inverted ‘Hook em Horns’ gesture was popularized quickly after the original symbol was used to represent the power and spirit of the Longhorns in the late 1950s.

The horns down gesture is a popular way to taunt Texas football

Sooners fans and opponents of Texas everywhere in college football use the ‘horns down’ hand symbol to mock the Longhorns.

But the display hasn’t gone without controversy. With a recent crackdown on taunting in college football, opponents of Texas are often penalized for using ‘horns down’ on the field. Some proponents of the ‘Hook em Horns’ say that ‘horns down’ is straight-up disrespectful and should stay out of football.

That doesn’t stop fans from pointing the horns at the ground mercilessly during college football games against texas, and it sure won’t stop the Sooners from using ‘horns down’ every chance they get.

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