Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech students hold a heated, long and ongoing rivalry with the University of Georgia, known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. The first known hostilities between the two institutions trace back to 1891. The University of Georgia's literary magazine proclaimed UGA's colors to be "old gold, black, and crimson". Dr. Charles H. Herty, then President of the University of Georgia, felt that old gold was too similar to yellow and that it "symbolized cowardice". After the 1893 football game against Tech, Herty removed old gold as an official color. Tech would first use old gold for their uniforms, as a proverbial slap in the face to UGA, in their first unofficial football game against Auburn in 1891. Georgia Tech's school colors would henceforth be old gold and white.
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Another long-standing tradition at Georgia Tech, which began in 1915, requires freshmen to wear a RAT cap, which stands for "Recruit at Tech", around campus, and most notably to football games. The caps are decorated with the football team's scores, the freshman's name, hometown, major, and expected graduation date, and "To HELL With Georgia" emblazoned on the back of the cap. Tradition states that freshmen are required to wear the RAT cap at least until the Georgia-Georgia Tech game, where they can take it off after the game for a Georgia Tech win, or keep it on the remainder of the freshman year if they lose. Anti-hazing laws have loosened the strictness and overall participation by most freshmen at Georgia Tech, except in the volunteer marching band.