Go U Northwestern


The "Go U Northwestern", originally titled "Go Northwestern Go", is one of the fight songs of Northwestern University.

History and significance

The song was written in 1912 by Theodore Van Etten, a member of the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band at the time. It debuted November 23, 1912, at old Northwestern Field in Northwestern's football season-finale versus the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The song, along with Northwestern's other fight song, "Rise, Northwestern!", and the university's alma mater, "University Hymn" are Northwestern official school songs. "Go U Northwestern" or "Rise, Northwestern!" is played by the marching band during football games every time Northwestern scores against its opponent and at various other times during the game.

Other uses

Along with being the Fight Song of Northwestern University, "Go U Northwestern" is the fight song for many high schools, with some using it under the original name. Several other colleges and universities use the song as well, including Northern Oklahoma College Enid and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 1998 to 2010.
SchoolCity
Ferndale High SchoolFerndale, MI
Bettendorf High SchoolBettendorf, IA
Hempstead High SchoolDubuque, IA
Elkhart Central High SchoolElkhart, IN
Southwestern Central High SchoolJamestown West, NY
Cedar Ridge High SchoolRound Rock, TX
Perrysburg High SchoolPerrysburg, OH
Buchanan High SchoolBuchanan, MI
Ovid-Elsie High SchoolElsie, MI
Owosso High SchoolOwosso, MI
Florence High SchoolFlorence, WI
Waubonsie Valley High SchoolAurora, IL
Rochester High SchoolRochester, IL
Newton Falls High SchoolNewton Falls, OH
Edwardsburg High SchoolEdwardsburg, MI
Clover High SchoolClover, SC
Central Montcalm High SchoolStanton, MI
Northwestern High SchoolHyattsville, MD
Cary-Grove High SchoolCary, IL
Coronado SchoolEl Paso, TX
Canyon High SchoolNew Braunfels, TX
South Hardin Community School DistrictEldora, IA
Bureau Valley High SchoolManlius, IL
Putnam City West High SchoolOklahoma City, OK
Portage High SchoolPortage, IN
Carlisle High SchoolCarlisle, PA
Shades Valley High SchoolIrondale, AL
Minnetonka High SchoolMinnetonka, MN
McCluer High SchoolFlorissant, MO
Will Rogers High SchoolTulsa, OK
Manzano High SchoolAlbuquerque, NM
Centennial High SchoolLas Cruces, NM
Lutheran High School WestlandWestland, MI
Mid Prairie High SchoolWellman, IA
Marfa High SchoolMarfa, TX
Alan C. Pope High SchoolMarietta, GA
Conestoga High SchoolBerwyn, PA
Turkey Valley High SchoolJackson Junction, IA
Holland High SchoolHolland, MI
Martinsville High SchoolMartinsville, VA
Abbotsford High SchoolAbbotsford, WI
Black River Falls High SchoolBlack River Falls, WI
Reedsburg Area High SchoolReedsburg, WI
Northwestern High SchoolMaple, WI
Cactus High SchoolGlendale, AZ
Methodist Boys' SchoolKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Green High SchoolFranklin Furnace, OH
Southwestern High School (Piasa, Illinois)Piasa, IL
Benedictine High SchoolCleveland, OH
Rouse High SchoolLeander, TX
Cypress Woods High SchoolCypress, TX
Sunrise Mountain High SchoolPeoria, AZ
Westwood High SchoolBlythewood, SC
Tom C. Clark High SchoolSan Antonio, TX
Steele Canyon High SchoolSpring Valley, CA
Central High SchoolTuscaloosa, AL

In popular culture

In an early 1970s Sesame Street sketch, Ernie sings the song's opening bars while wearing a football helmet, eager to open a present Bert has wrapped, that Ernie thinks is a new football for him.