O (gesture)

First used by University of Oregon band directors as a cue to indicate the song to be played, it gained its current meaning after a photograph of quarterback Joey Harrington appeared on the front page of The Oregonian making the "O" sign with his hands.

The gesture was first used by University of Oregon band directors, who relied on visual cues to direct the ensemble due to crowd noise.

Steven Paul, who served as band director from 1983 to 1989, used the sign to prompt musicians to begin performing the fight song "Mighty Oregon".

It became popularized after a photograph of quarterback Joey Harrington making the "O" appeared on the front page of The Oregonian one day following the Civil War game in 2001.

[1] The Winter 2014 edition of the Oregon Quarterly includes a photograph of Lady Gaga "throwing the O" with a UO alumna.

[4] As Oregon players began to use the gesture on the field after a good play, Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira, a former NFL and college football official, indicated that he thought the use of the sign bordered on unsportsmanlike conduct, which could lead to a 15-yard penalty.