Hook 'em Horns

A variant of the Horns, formed upside down with the thumb pointed outward, is often used by rivals of the Longhorns and is considered insulting, especially when performed by a player or coach of the team in question.

[4] In 1955,[5] Harley Clark, who would later introduce the signal, got the idea for the hand-sign from his colleagues Tom Butts and Henry K. Pitts, who had been casting shadows on the wall at the Texas Union.

[citation needed] Clark was a member of the Tejas Club, as well as head cheerleader at UT, a position that was elected by the student body.

[6] Clark showed an enthusiastic student body the sign a few nights later at a football pep rally at Gregory Gym.

The next day, at the Texas Longhorn vs. TCU football game, Clark stood in awe as the "Hook 'em Horns" hand sign surged from one side of the stadium to the other.

Sports Illustrated featured the Hook 'em Horns symbol in front of a Texas pennant on the cover of their 10 September 1973 issue.

The images of Jenna Bush publicly "throwing the horns" made headlines on tabloid news in Norway[10] and caused the First Lady's press secretary, Gordon Johndroe, to giggle when he discovered the gesture, signed on one hand ("the head") in conjunction with flapping of the fingers on other hand (the "business end"), means bullshit in sign language.

Fans of North Carolina State University Wolfpack athletics use a similar gesture with the middle and ring fingers moving up and down over the thumb to mimic the wolf's jaw.

Fans of University of Utah athletics, particularly football and gymnastics, use a gesture where the index and pinky finger are straight and parallel to each other, forming a block "U.

Arizona State University Sun Devils fans make a pitchfork sign by extending the index and middle fingers, as well as the pinky.