NCAA cancels national anthem singer from College World Series appearance after 'Horns down' gesture
The NCAA has canceled the scheduled national anthem performance of singer Zac Collier at the College World Series after he was seen flashing a “Horns down” sign often used by Texas Longhorns rivals. Collier made the gesture, which the NCAA deemed “offensive,” after he performed at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City this past week.
A few days later, he received an email notifying him that his scheduled CWS date had been canceled.
“Due to the unsportsmanlike behavior shown after your performance at the Women’s College World Series, we need to go a different direction,” the email read. “You are no longer scheduled to perform Game 9 of the Men’s College World Series.”
Of course, since the original email did not disclose what the “unsportsmanlike behavior” was, Collier followed up to inquire. That’s when he discovered that his Horns down sign was the culprit, as the NCAA considered it offensive to Texas fans.
“We have documented proof that he made offensive gestures and mockery of a participating team at the Women’s College World Series and we do not feel comfortable allowing him to perform,” the NCAA responded along with a photo of Collier making the Horns down sign.
Collier is a 27-year-old U.S. history teacher in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and a Texas A&M alumnus, according to an update from ESPN. He has been singing the anthem at sporting events for the past 10 years, including at several Texas A&M sporting events when he still lived in College Station, along with Houston Astros and Texas Rangers games.
The national anthem cancellation isn’t the first time that the ‘Horns down’ sign has caused trouble in college sports. Back in 2018, West Virginia quarterback Will Grier was handed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for making the gesture in a game against the Longhorns. In the same game, Mountaineers receiver David Sills was also given a penalty for doing the sign.
Three years later in 2021, the Big 12 coordinator of officials Greg Burks confirmed at Big 12 media days that the ‘Horns down’ sign would likely result in a taunting penalty in most cases going forward.
The original hand symbol, “Hook ‘em Horns,” was introduced by former Texas head cheerleader Harley Clark in 1955. According to an ESPN article, one of the first Horns down images showed a Baylor fan doing it on the front page of The Daily Texan in 1963. Since then, it has become a universal symbols for Texas’ rivals, most notably Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, Texas fans haven’t taken too kindly to it, with former quarterback Sam Ehlinger once calling the gesture “disrespectful.” But no matter how many penalties are assessed for it, the Horns down symbol is not likely to go anywhere. It’s a part of the rivalry now, with Collier even saying in a Facebook post “I regret nothing.”
The College World Series is set to begin Friday in Omaha and will conclude either June 26 or 27. You can view the full bracket here.