5 UC legends you didn’t know that you need to know
Whether you recently graduated or are a well-seasoned UC alumnus, you’re likely familiar with some of the university’s urban legends. Maybe you first heard about them while reading The Red & Black Book, while walking across McMicken Lawn to class, or hanging out with friends in TUC.
We’ll dive into five of the most popular UC myths and debunk if they are fact or fiction.
Nippert is buried beneath his memorial
According to legend, James Gamble Nippert, former UC lineman who died of an in-game injury on Thanksgiving 1923, is buried beneath his memorial in Nippert Stadium’s south end at the top of the student section.
True or False:
False. Jimmy was laid to rest in Spring Grove Cemetery, where Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity holds a memorial service each year.
A ghost haunts Blegen
Rumor has it that an apparition of a short male around 60 year old, wearing a tweed cap and jacket, roams the Archives & Rare Book stacks on the eighth floor of Blegen Library. The ghost is rumored to be a former classics professor who died in the 1960s.
True or False:
That is up for debate. Since the supposed ghost isn’t making himself readily available for questioning, the mystery still remains!
Dead-end hallways in DAAP
If you believe the hype, then you might be convinced that the modern DAAP building has hallways and staircases leading to nowhere in particular.
True or False:
Very interesting and yet very false. Renowned architect Peter Eisenman did in fact design a dead-end staircase, but it just so happens to be in another Ohio city. At the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Eisenman designed a staircase that dead-ends directly into a wall, but he did not repeat this at the Aronoff Center for Design and Art at UC.
Worker entombed in Crosley Tower
The myth: Crosley Tower was poured as a single slab of concrete, one of the workers fell in, and since the pouring couldn’t be stopped, he was entombed there.
True or False:
Both! Yes, Crosley Tower was poured as a single piece of concrete -- but no, no one fell in or became entombed.
McMicken stone lions growl
The legend goes that the McMicken Hall stone lions, Mick and Mack (who have stood at the entrance of campus since 1904), will growl whenever a virgin walks by them. Oddly enough, Mick and Mack share this alleged tendency with the stone lions at the universities of Missouri and Michigan.
True or False:
Highly unlikely, but the verdict is still out. This is one of the university’s longest-living legends, dating back to pre-World War II. This urban myth is so familiar that it is documented on Snopes.com’s Urban Legend Reference Page!
Share with us on social (@uofcincyalumni) which of the 5 urban legends you’re familiar with, which ones you maybe hadn’t heard of yet, and whether you have heard others!
Tags
Related Stories
Bridging creativity and commerce
July 1, 2024
At the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business, Victoria Mrofchak stands out not just for her academic excellence but for her remarkable blend of creativity and business acumen. A fourth-year marketing major with a minor in management and fine arts, scholarships help Mrofchak shape her future at the intersection of art and commerce.
CCM students receive 16 award nominations from NATAS Ohio Valley...
July 1, 2024
Students from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music received 16 Student Production Award nominations from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).
UC alum visits campus to teach students about footwear design
June 28, 2024
A 2011 graduate of design, UC alum Charley Hudak has seen his career trajectory go from intern to creative director for Tiger Woods' new athletic footwear brand, Sun Day Red. While he may run with the biggest cat in golf, Hudak doesn't forget his Bearcat roots and comes back each summer to teach youth about footwear design at DAAP Camps.