Ever Wonder Who Threw the First Homecoming?

We’ve all been to one. The parade. The pep rally. The football game under the lights. Homecoming feels timeless. But it had a starting point. And the story is bigger than you think.

Homecoming is not just about football. It is about nostalgia and pride. It is about pulling alumni back into the fold and giving students a reason to celebrate. Schools picked the fall because it matched the rhythm of football season and the academic calendar. Energy was already high. Football made it electric.

The roots go back to the 1800s. Alumni returned for rivalry games like Harvard vs. Yale. They gathered to cheer, hold rallies, and reconnect. Those early events looked a lot like Homecoming.

As schools grew, administrators needed more than casual reunions. They needed tradition. Football, with its rivalries and pageantry, became the perfect hook.

Baylor points to 1909. It called the celebration “Good Will Week.” It drew people back but fizzled out. The tradition did not stick until decades later.

Illinois claims 1910. Two seniors pitched the idea to boost school spirit and finally beat Chicago. It worked. More than 12,000 alumni showed up. Illinois won. The event stuck.

Then came Missouri in 1911. Athletic Director Chester Brewer told alumni to “Come Home” for the Missouri-Kansas rivalry. More than 9,000 packed Rollins Field. The weekend had everything: parade, bonfire, pep rallies, and the football game. Missouri turned the idea into a blueprint. That’s why it gets the credit.

The template spread. By the 1920s, colleges across the country were holding Homecoming. High schools followed. They tweaked the formula. Instead of scheduling rivals, they often picked easier opponents to guarantee a win. Students got the thrill of a victory to close out a week of spirit events. And the Homecoming dance became a major social event, second only to prom.

By the 1930s, schools added courts and crowns. The Queen came first, with selection based mostly on looks. Kings came much later. Missouri crowned its first Queen in 1941 but waited until 1977 to name its first King.

The court became more than a popularity contest. In 1968, the University of Houston made history when Lynn Eusan became one of the first African-American Homecoming Queens at a major university.

Regions made Homecoming their own. Texas turned mums into over-the-top works of art with ribbons, trinkets, and even lights. The Midwest embraced floats. The South leaned into tailgates. The West favored music and festivals. The Northeast highlighted academics and alumni connections.

Homecoming has survived for more than a century because it adapts. The core remains the same: football, alumni, and celebration. Around that, schools bend the tradition to fit their culture.

That’s why every fall feels familiar yet fresh. The band plays. Alumni return. Students celebrate. And the past collides with the present. That’s the magic of Homecoming.