People in 2015 tend to look back on history as this quaint, simpler time in human history. This is not so. We live in the era of air conditioning, deodorant, the Internet, and dental tools beyond "pliers, whiskey, and cocaine." By and large, we're pampered little babies schlepping our way to an opulent wooden box for which our families will pay handsomely, for some reason.
In the past, though? Oh, it went down in the past. College freshmen today are worried about not catching an STD while studying. In 1915, they had to not only balance rigorously regimented classwork, but also be prepared to spill some classmate's blood on Ohio Field over a walking cane.
Sep 24 in University District History: Subterfuge and conniving cops can't save outnumbered sophs at annual cane rush at Ohio Field. In 1915
— Univ Dist History (@UDHCMH) September 24, 2015
Sophs tried to hide cane w wounded combatant being carried from field but frosh were wise to the trick.
— Univ Dist History (@UDHCMH) September 24, 2015
@marion_ohio Frosh.
— Univ Dist History (@UDHCMH) September 24, 2015
To further illustrate the scene, here's an Ohio State Archives picture of an Ohio State game at Ohio Field in 1915 (yes, you could tether your dang horse outside the stadium if you chose to roll that way):
Now, this might sound like some old-timey hijinks among some well-to-do chaps, but these were apparently out-and-out brawls that weren't short on the blood-letting. Cane rushes weren't confined to Ohio State either.
From NYU.edu:
A bold freshman would smuggle a heavy cane into chapel, which according to Pettit and Frusciano was often made of hard material like hickory, and display it in defiance to the sophomores (114). The yell "Freshies Got a Cane" would erupt and the motto and class yell that Pettit and Frusicano claim each class devised would be heard (114). As described in C. Alfred Bill's article "The New York University" available for viewing in the archive here, the two opposing classes would form together with the sophomores in a V to try and break the opponents formation (311). The two groups would come together in hand to hand combat, trying to get their hands on a cane, until one side was pushed out of the doors at the end of the corridor where this took place. Once outside the juniors and seniors would count which group had the most hands on the stick and declare a winner.
This was not just a cute tiff, but rather as described in Newspaper article from 1885 a"hand to hand fight in which the blood flowed freely" ("Victorious"). In 1885 for example the police had to interfere in a cane rush gone too far which you can read about here. The article described the scene and students with "hair disheveled, clothing torn, faces scratched, noses bleeding and body and limbs bruised and sore" ("Victorious").
Well we know one thing now: The highly-recruited class of 1914 had nothing on the hungry dogs of the 1915 class. Because I'm not sure what's worse: Needing to use the "injured player turned smuggler" hustle on a bunch of freshmen or the fact they got their teeth knocked out anyway.
Probably both.
