Skip to main content

The Kicking Post

The kicking post is a 3-foot cement marker that stands between Trout Hall, where most sociology classes take place, and the Administration Building. It stands in the path connecting the Heritage Walk and the Back Quad, one of the busiest intersections when classes are in session. The post received its name because students kick it when they pass as a token of good luck.

The kicking post has been around since the early 1920s. After an incident where a faculty member was almost run down by a student with a car, the octagonal obelisk was put up as a barrier to keep vehicles away from the Back Quad. It stood on the gravel road between the Administration Building and Trout Hall before the sidewalk and street lights were donated by the Class of 1924. It is uncertain exactly when and how the marker received its symbolic meaning, but people say that by the late 1970s the kicking post had obtained its good luck charm status.

The kicking post from a 1920s photograph
The kicking post from a 1920s yearbook photo

A modern photo of a student kicking the kicking post
The kicking post today