Skull and crossbones (fraternities and sports)
Encyclopedia
The skull and crossbones was a common fraternal motiff as a symbol of mortality and warning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The symbol was adopted, for various reasons, by many sporting teams, clubs and societies in both America and Europe.
society, a secret society
at Yale University
which derives its very name from the symbol. Other well-known college fraternal organizations which use the skull and bones in some capacity in their public symbols include, but are not limited to: Dom-I-Necher, Kappa Sigma
, Sigma Phi Epsilon
, Phi Kappa Sigma
Tau Kappa Epsilon
, Chi Psi
and Zeta Beta Tau
Fraternities and Sigma Sigma Sigma
and Chi Omega
Sororities. Other fraternal groups also use the skull and crossbones in their symbolism and/or in their secret fraternal rituals. These groups include the Knights of Columbus as well as the Knights Templar degree of Freemasonry.
In fraternal usage, the skull and crossbones - along with full skeletons and the skull alone - are a very common motif due to their common association with death. The significance of these symbols vary from group to group. For some, they are a symbolic reminder of mortality. For others, the symbol has a religious reference (as with the Masonic Knights Templar, for which the skull and bones symbolize Golgotha, the place of Jesus' crucifixion). Another common fraternal use is one of warning wherein the skull and crossbones symbolize a dire warning against betraying the group's secrets and/or failing to keep one's oath.
In sports, the symbol was first adopted in the 1870s and was popular across many football sports in Great Britain
and is still widely used by modern sports teams. The earliest teams to adopt the skull and crossbones were rugby union
teams of the time. Although some coastal teams adopted an association with pirates in their team name, most teams used the symbol simply as a form of rebellion and its connotation with danger. The first Cardiff RFC
team adopted a white skull and crossbones on the teams black strip in 1876, but this was changed the next season after pressure from the players' parents. The symbol was also used by the invitational touring rugby team the Barbarians
, but this was dropped for the black and white hoops by the late 1890s.
In Ireland the University College Cork, has used the skull and crossbones laid over the University badge for many of its sporting teams, most notably the College rugby team
. Although there is dispute to the origin of the adoption of the badge, it is believed that the University's past connection as a medical school may have been the reason for its use. The University College even references the skull and crossbones in their College Victory Cry.
Poole Pirates
Speedway
Team in the United Kingdom
have the Skull and Crossbones as their team badge. The logo of the Blackshirts, the starting defensive unit for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football
team, is a Skull and Crossbones with the skull wearing the team helmet
. The players and fans often celebrate by "throwing the bones", where they cross the forearms in front of the chest, in a 'X', imitating the logo.
The athletic teams of East Carolina University
, nicknamed Pirates
, use a modified skull and crossbones flag as their symbol. (The skull wears a purple tricornered hat.)
Adoption by societies
The skull and crossbones motif was used by many American college fraternities, sororites and secret societies founded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The most well-known example of this usage is the Skull and BonesSkull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
society, a secret society
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
which derives its very name from the symbol. Other well-known college fraternal organizations which use the skull and bones in some capacity in their public symbols include, but are not limited to: Dom-I-Necher, Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
, Phi Kappa Sigma
Phi Kappa Sigma
Phi Kappa Sigma is an international all-male college social fraternity. Its members are known as "Phi Kaps", "Skulls" and sometimes "Skullhouse", the latter two because of the skull and crossbones on the Fraternity's badge and coat of arms. Phi Kappa Sigma was founded by Dr. Samuel Brown Wylie...
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
, Chi Psi
Chi Psi
Chi Psi Fraternity is a fraternity and secret society consisting of 29 active chapters at American colleges and universities. It was founded on Thursday May 20, 1841, by 10 students at Union College with the idea of emphasizing the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood...
and Zeta Beta Tau
Zeta Beta Tau
Zeta Beta Tau was founded in 1898 as the nation's first Jewish fraternity, although it is no longer sectarian. Today the merged Zeta Beta Tau Brotherhood is one of the largest, numbering over 140,000 initiated Brothers, and over 90 chapter locations.-Founding:The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity was...
Fraternities and Sigma Sigma Sigma
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Sigma Sigma Sigma , also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women’s sorority with membership of more than 100,000 members. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference and hosts chapters on more than 110 college campuses and 89 alumnae chapters in communities all...
and Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Chi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
Sororities. Other fraternal groups also use the skull and crossbones in their symbolism and/or in their secret fraternal rituals. These groups include the Knights of Columbus as well as the Knights Templar degree of Freemasonry.
In fraternal usage, the skull and crossbones - along with full skeletons and the skull alone - are a very common motif due to their common association with death. The significance of these symbols vary from group to group. For some, they are a symbolic reminder of mortality. For others, the symbol has a religious reference (as with the Masonic Knights Templar, for which the skull and bones symbolize Golgotha, the place of Jesus' crucifixion). Another common fraternal use is one of warning wherein the skull and crossbones symbolize a dire warning against betraying the group's secrets and/or failing to keep one's oath.
Adoption by sporting teams
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and is still widely used by modern sports teams. The earliest teams to adopt the skull and crossbones were rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
teams of the time. Although some coastal teams adopted an association with pirates in their team name, most teams used the symbol simply as a form of rebellion and its connotation with danger. The first Cardiff RFC
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
team adopted a white skull and crossbones on the teams black strip in 1876, but this was changed the next season after pressure from the players' parents. The symbol was also used by the invitational touring rugby team the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
, but this was dropped for the black and white hoops by the late 1890s.
In Ireland the University College Cork, has used the skull and crossbones laid over the University badge for many of its sporting teams, most notably the College rugby team
University College Cork RFC
University College Cork Rugby Football Club is the rugby union team of University College Cork, based in Cork in the Republic of Ireland. They currently play in Division 1B of the AIB League. Founded in 1872, they originally played as Queen’s College Cork, as UCC was then known. Recent successes...
. Although there is dispute to the origin of the adoption of the badge, it is believed that the University's past connection as a medical school may have been the reason for its use. The University College even references the skull and crossbones in their College Victory Cry.
Poole Pirates
Poole Pirates
Poole Pirates are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the British Elite League...
Speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
Team in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
have the Skull and Crossbones as their team badge. The logo of the Blackshirts, the starting defensive unit for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
team, is a Skull and Crossbones with the skull wearing the team helmet
Football helmet
A football helmet is a protective device used primarily in American football and Canadian football. It consists of a hard plastic top with thick padding on the inside, a face mask made of one or more plastic bars, and a chinstrap. Some players add polycarbonate visors to their helmets, which are...
. The players and fans often celebrate by "throwing the bones", where they cross the forearms in front of the chest, in a 'X', imitating the logo.
The athletic teams of East Carolina University
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
, nicknamed Pirates
East Carolina Pirates
The East Carolina Pirates are the intercollegiate sports teams representing East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams sponsored by the university compete in NCAA Division I as a member of Conference USA...
, use a modified skull and crossbones flag as their symbol. (The skull wears a purple tricornered hat.)