The Yellow Jacket

The Yellow Jacket nickname and mascot are two of the most beloved trademarks of Georgia Tech athletic teams, but many conflicting accounts exist as to the origins and beginnings of the Yellow Jacket. One thing that is clear, however, is that the nickname did not grow out of the familiar six-legged insect, but instead that the insect mascot, known as "Buzz," grew out of the nickname.

As far as can be determined, the first reference to Tech students as "Yellowjackets" appeared in the Atlanta Constitution in 1905 and came into common usage at that time.

Historians say the name, spelled as one word, was first used to describe supporters who attended Tech athletic events, dressed in yellow coats and jackets. The actual mascot was conceived at a later date, still undetermined.

Other common nicknames which have applied to Georgia Tech teams include Engineers, which is still used by some writers; the Techs, the first known nickname which was phased out sometime around 1910; and the Blacksmiths, which was common between 1902 and 1904 and is thought to be an invention of sportswriters at the time.

The Golden Tornado is another former nickname thought to be created by sportswriters when John Heisman led Tech to its first national championship in football in 1917. Tech was the first team from the South to earn the honor bestowed by the International News Service, and any team thereafter which approached the same level of excellence was referred to as the Golden Tornado. The nickname was used as late as 1929, when Tech defeated California in the Rose Bowl.

Rat Caps

Tech has several customs especially created for its freshman class members. One of the oldest and proudest freshman traditions, wearing Tech's gold-colored rat cap, originated with the ANAK society in 1915. The term rat, originally used for first-year military students, gradually expanded to include all freshmen.

The rat cap has been a distinctive symbol of membership in Tech's freshman class. Freshmen are to decorate their rat caps by writing winning football scores upright, losing scores upside down, and tie scores sideways. Co-ops circle the top button.

George P. Burdell

In 1927, a Tech tradition began when a mythical student named George P. Burdell appeared on class rosters, registration forms and grade reports, and he has since become one of Tech's most notable students.

The most accurate accounts claim that Burdell was the creation of student Ed Smith. While completing an application form, Smith was struck with the impish idea of enrolling a non-existent student. He even turned in separate exam papers for Burdell, convincing professors that George was a student in good standing. Burdell received a bachelor's degree from Tech and later earned a master's degree.

During the years since Smith's graduation, other students have kept George P. Burdell alive at Tech and elsewhere. In the spring of 1969, the first quarter that Georgia Tech used completely computerized registration, George beat the system by registering for every course the school offered-more than 3,000 credit hours! 
 

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