Since the school opened its doors in 1888 many traditions have grown and become a staple of the environment here at Tech. There are too many to list but there are a few traditions and rivalries we have become very proud of over the years. This is a environment that is embraced by all of the student body on one level or another that creates on of the greatest collegiate environments in the US.
Some of the traditions include the legend of George P.Burdell, the infamous Wramblin Wreck and the establishment of the Clean, Old Fashioned hate towards U(sic)Ga, that other school in Georgia.
BuzzBuzz — who made his first campus appearance in 1980 — is the world-famous and beloved mascot of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Buzz gets Tech fans cheering at nearly all the Institute’s intercollegiate sporting events and on campus activities.
Ramblin’ Wreck Model-A Ford
The 1930 Model A Ford was donated to Georgia Tech in 1961 by Capt. Ted Johnson, a then-retired pilot who had purchased and restored the car for his son. The official Ramblin’ Wreck appears on the field at all home football games and other events as a symbol of Georgia Tech. A second Model A was purchased and restored by the Alumni Association in the 1980s, and is used at alumni events. A third automobile was purchased and restored by the Georgia Tech Foundation, and is parked in the lobby of the Georgia Tech Hotel.
RATS Week
RATS (Recently Acquired Tech Students) Week is Tech’s orientation week for new students, when freshmen learn all about Tech campus traditions.
The Whistle
Believed to have come to Tech in 1896, the steam whistle was meant to mimic the industrial whistles of the times. It called the students to their shop classes. Today, it is operated by a computerized atomic clock that releases the steam. The Whistle blows five minutes to the hour to end classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It has a different schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It also blows after Tech touchdowns during home games.
One of our big traditions is the GT Fight Song. This is performed during football games, graduation ceremonies and at the end of all the lacrosse games we win. The words and music for Tech’s world-famous “Ramblin’ Wreck” fight song were inspired by an old folk ballad, “The Sons of the Gamboliers.” The name Ramblin’ Wreck gained widespread acceptance in the 1920s, when Tech graduates began building makeshift mechanical buggies to improve a poor transportation system in South America. Here is a clip;
Some of the traditions include the legend of George P.Burdell, the infamous Wramblin Wreck and the establishment of the Clean, Old Fashioned hate towards U(sic)Ga, that other school in Georgia.
BuzzBuzz — who made his first campus appearance in 1980 — is the world-famous and beloved mascot of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Buzz gets Tech fans cheering at nearly all the Institute’s intercollegiate sporting events and on campus activities.
Ramblin’ Wreck Model-A Ford
The 1930 Model A Ford was donated to Georgia Tech in 1961 by Capt. Ted Johnson, a then-retired pilot who had purchased and restored the car for his son. The official Ramblin’ Wreck appears on the field at all home football games and other events as a symbol of Georgia Tech. A second Model A was purchased and restored by the Alumni Association in the 1980s, and is used at alumni events. A third automobile was purchased and restored by the Georgia Tech Foundation, and is parked in the lobby of the Georgia Tech Hotel.
RATS Week
RATS (Recently Acquired Tech Students) Week is Tech’s orientation week for new students, when freshmen learn all about Tech campus traditions.
The Whistle
Believed to have come to Tech in 1896, the steam whistle was meant to mimic the industrial whistles of the times. It called the students to their shop classes. Today, it is operated by a computerized atomic clock that releases the steam. The Whistle blows five minutes to the hour to end classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It has a different schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It also blows after Tech touchdowns during home games.
One of our big traditions is the GT Fight Song. This is performed during football games, graduation ceremonies and at the end of all the lacrosse games we win. The words and music for Tech’s world-famous “Ramblin’ Wreck” fight song were inspired by an old folk ballad, “The Sons of the Gamboliers.” The name Ramblin’ Wreck gained widespread acceptance in the 1920s, when Tech graduates began building makeshift mechanical buggies to improve a poor transportation system in South America. Here is a clip;