Name reversal in the Big 12

CU vs. UC The Story The acronym “UC” was used by the University of Colorado for fifty years, beginning when the university opened in 1876. Around 1924-25 “CU” became the official abbreviation, presumably to distinguish Colorado from the University of California. Coincidentally, other schools in the Big 12 Conference of which CU is a member, also use this reverse acronym. For example, the Universities of Kansas and Oklahoma are known as KU and OU, respectively. http://cuheritage.org/history-notes/cu-vs-uc/ Dear Ralphie, Why are we referred to as CU instead of UC, given that we are the University of Colorado? Sincerely, Carolyn Dear Carolyn, Actually, many of the Midwestern and Western universities use similar abbreviations (ie- Kansas-KU, Nebraska-NU Oklahoma-OU and Denver-DU). According to the CU historian Fred Casotti this comes from a "Midwestern casualness" that flows through the area. This type of school naming seems to be solely located in the midwest and not any where else in the country (ie- UCLA, USD, FSU, NYU all follow their "proper" letter sequence). However, in the 1950's there was an effort to try and eliminate the "CU" abreviation from the campus in both speech and logo, but it didn't take. Many of those in the area had become so accustomed to CU that it felt ackward for them to say U of C and felt that "UC" sounded like a slang to shorten "you see". As Casotti said, "by trying to eliminate it, they reinforced it." So the relaxed attitude of the Midwest and CU is what gives the University of Colorado its distinctive naming. Hope this helps. Sincerely, Ralphie http://www.colorado.edu/ralphie/askralphie/get.html?9987&2006&link