College football is a fun sport. It’s also a petty one.
For every good-natured cheer, cry and chant, there is a jeer for teams and fans to throw back at opponents. That is especially true of Texas football, a historically great program that has had no problem flaunting its superiority over its opponents.
Enter “Horns Down,” a hand gesture directly aimed at the Longhorns’ iconic “Hook ’em Horns” sign — is among the most iconic in college football. The gesture has been the focal point of several discussions, some of them heated, and whether it should be considered a penalty.
The issue of “Horns Down” wasn’t officially recognized by the Big 12 until the 2019 season. But the gesture has been used for a long, long time: reportedly dating back to at least 1963.
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With that, The Sporting News explores the phenomenon that is “Horns Down,” including its usage and whether or not it is — or should be — penalized.
Is ‘Horns Down’ a penalty?
Yes — depending on the context. Generally speaking, the gesture falls under the category of unsportsmanlike conduct, which results in a 15-yard penalty.
Big 12 director of officiating Greg Burks first addressed the gesture being penalized at the 2019 Big 12 Media Days. At the time, he said the Big 12 had no official ruling on the gesture, instead leaving it up to officials calling Texas games.
“The answer I will give you is ‘it depends,'” Burks said at the time.
It’s like any unsportsmanlike act. If somebody scores quickly, turns to their cheering section, and it’s quick and they move on, we’re not going to do anything with that. If it’s to a bench or to another player, and it’s prolonged, it would be an unsportsmanlike act.
“My advice is if you want to do that, do it back in your bench area, do it back with teammates, get away from where you are an individual drawing attention to yourself.”
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Burks added further clarification on the penalty at the 2021 Big 12 Media Days, saying it “probably” would be a penalty.
“Lemme put it this way,” Burks said. “If you do a ‘Horns Down’ to a Texas player as an opponent, that’s probably going to be a foul.”
“Please all of you note, I said, ‘Probably.’ We have to consider intent and consider the situation. We’ll leave it to officials.”
That said, the gesture has been penalized before, such as in 2018, when West Virginia quarterback Will Grier performed the gesture after a successful 2-point conversion to make the score 42-41 over the Longhorns (the eventual final score).
Despite the attention surrounding “Horns Down,” not everyone is aware (or claims to be aware) of the gesture. Alabama head coach Nick Saban denied as such ahead of the Crimson Tide’s game with the Longhorns when a reporter asked him if he addressed the potential for it to happen.
Nick Saban was not aware of the “Horns down” gesture being a penalty.
The media may have just saved Alabama 15-yards. pic.twitter.com/1Aj4i0wKy7
— Pat Dowd (@Pat_Dowd77) September 7, 2022
We’ve got a lot of other things we need to really worry about, but I think that’s a good thing for me to go over with the team. So, I appreciate you letting me know.
The question now is whether the SEC will consider the “Horns Down” gesture similarly offensive once the Longhorns join the conference with Oklahoma in 2025. Texas has considerably more sway in the Big 12, though it’s uncertain whether it will have the same pull in a conference that includes Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Florida and more.
That remains up in the air for the moment, though not for a lack of interest by SEC coaches. Indeed, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz at the 2021 SEC Media Days said he asked SEC commissioner Greg Sankey whether “Horns Down” would be penalized.
“He gave me a strong rebuttal: No comment.”
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What is ‘Horns Down’?
The gesture is a simple reversal of Texas’ well-known “Hook ’em Horns” hand gesture, in which you hold your ring and middle fingers down while extending your index and pinkie fingers up.
The sign — originating in 1955 from Texas student Henry “HK” Pitts — resembles a Texas Longhorn steer, which is both the nickname and mascot of Texas football.
“Horns Down” is the exact same gesture, except you bend your wrist downward so that the “horns” look down instead of up. It’s that simple.
What does ‘Horns Down’ mean?
It depends on who you ask. For Longhorns and their fans, it’s a sign of disrespect to the team and university. Former coach Mack Brown, for example, said as early as 2012 that the Big 12 should crack down on the gesture:
“The ‘Horns Down’ is disrespectful,” Brown said at the time. “We ought to talk about that as a league.”
Former Texas coach Tom Herman was less offended by it, as he pointed out at the 2019 Big 12 Media Days:
“It’s flattering to know that we’re on people’s minds even in the offseason.” Herman said.
Even our rivals want to talk about Texas football. It’s flattering.
For those who use it, it’s a fun gesture meant to poke fun at Texas and one of the most iconic hand gestures in college football.
For what it’s worth, Pitts, the originator of the sign, has no issue with the sign:
The issue is not up to Pitts, however. It’s up to officials calling Texas games whether it’s offensive enough to warrant a penalty.
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