Maroon & Gold

The colors maroon and gold have long symbolized Minnesota. The story of how they were chosen goes back to the late 1870s. The combination was selected by Mrs. Augusta Norwood Smith, grand-niece of Rufus Choate, the statesmen, who was an instructor in English between 1876 and 1880, at the suggestion of William Watts Folwell. The precise date of the choosing of the colors has been lost over time, yet it was made sometime during Mrs. Smith's residence as an instructor at the University.

Taken from the U of M Marching Band Centennial Book, Minnesota Hats Off to Thee, ©1992 by The University of Minnesota Band Alumni Society, which remains available for purchase from the University of Minnesota Bookstores.