The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Traditions: Smokey the Cannon
Smokey the Cannon is an integral element of the Texas Football gameday experience, and can always be found in the southeast corner of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The cannon is fired after any Texas score as well as at the end-of-quarter breaks.
Smokey is owned and operated by the Texas Cowboys, a student service organization. The cannon is a replica Civil War artillery cannon, built in 1953 by UT’s mechanical engineering laboratory. Apparently, the cannon was constructed in response to shotgun blasts fired by Oklahoma fans during the annual rivalry football game in Dallas.
