Homecoming: A Look Through Its Time Honored History at St. Cloud State

Article by Vrydon Paul. Photos courtesy of St. Cloud State University Archives.

St. Cloud State is celebrating the 99th anniversary of its first homecoming on October 24-26 2024 with loads of activities and two hockey games. In recent years St. Cloud State has moved away from football games since the disbanding its football team at the end of the 2020 season but the spirit of a homecoming game lives on with their D1 national-ranked hockey team.

Homecoming cartoon from The College Chronicle dated Friday, Oct. 30, 1925.

The First Homecoming

St. Cloud State’s first homecoming weekend was from Oct. 30 through the 31 in 1925. The weekend began with a huge bonfire and pep fest on the newly built athletic field. The next day the marching band of 160 instruments led by the St. Cloud Boys Band marched to the athletic field to welcome the football game. St. Cloud took on Winona State on Saturday, Oct. 31, 1925 at 2:30 p.m..

The College Chronicle edition on Friday, October 30th, 1925 documented, “Winona is one team that St. Cloud desires above all to beat, and the team will give everything they have to win against Winona in the most important event of Homecoming day.”

 St. Cloud did the opposite the following day they lost to Winona 0-6. Although the St. Cloud State student body was probably upset over the loss to Winona State the weekend was not finished. The first homecoming ended with an All College Dance at the St. Cloud Armory.

A column from The College Chronicle’s Oct. 30, 1925 edition.

‘30s Photo

During the Great Depression, St. Cloud State’s homecoming was still in full force, happening yearly during that decade. The 1930 homecoming was on Oct. 3-4 and included a dedication to Eastman Hall. The football game was played against Bemidji State with St. Cloud winning 26-6. 

Throughout the rest of the ‘30s, St. Cloud State won 7 of 9 homecoming games losing to Bemidji in 1932 and Winona in 1939.

In 1936, University President Geoge A. Selke wrote a piece about homecoming for the University Chronicle, “It is a time for fun, for the renewal of old friendships, and a rededication to the great profession of teaching.”

‘40s 

At the same time as WW2, St. Cloud State homecoming was still going. 1940 was the school’s first year to select a homecoming Queen who by later accounts was named Batty Nolan. The homecomings were filled with bonfires, alumni visits, and pep-fests. 

Throughout the ‘40s St. Cloud State won 6 out of 7 football games against Mankato, Winona, Bemidji, and Duluth. 

‘50s 

During the 1950’s there were some surprises to St. Cloud’s homecoming events. In 1952, then-presidential nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower crowned the homecoming queen, 1953 a convention was held on campus by the Central Minnesota Education Association that celebrated fifty years of the St. Cloud State football team, and in 1958 there was a centennial theme for homecoming celebrating the centennial of Minnesota.

The themes for the homecomings included, ‘Let’s Go Indians’, ‘Let’s Go Hod Wild, Dogpatch style’, ‘In the Days of King Arthur’s Court’, ‘Husky Heaven’, ‘Light the Fire with Husky Desire’, ‘Autumn leaves, alumni return’, ‘Celebration of a Century’, and ‘Autumn Array’.

St. Cloud State’s football team won 6 out of ten games losing to Moorhead in 1952, Bemidji in 1957, Michigan Tech in 1959, and tying Winona in 1958.

The presidential nominees crowned Joyce Peterson as Homecoming Queen on Oct. 4, 1952.

60’s 

The decade of the 60s brought The Civil Rights Movement, Kennedy’s assassination, and The Vietnam War. The 1960 Homecoming was a horror show with a freshman needing stitches, a dead bird getting stuck in a girl’s hair, and a girl fainting. The kangaroo court was disbanded a couple of years after the whole mess. 

The themes for homecoming included, ‘Fall Fantasy’, ‘Festival of Films’, and, ‘The Second One Hundred Years’. St. Cloud State football team won 6 out of 10 games losing to Michigan Tech in sixty and sixty-four, Winona in 1965, and tying Winona in 1961.

‘70s

During the decade of the Watergate scandal and the end of the Vietnam War, St Cloud State’s homecoming was changing with the times. In 1970, the bonfire was called off to raise concerns about environmental issues, the same year the parade was not streamed on TV due to money issues, and in 1972 some students called to vote for a Homecoming Queen to be abolished. The Women’s Equality Group was against the idea of a competition and described it as sexist. The vote did not pass but St. Cloud State decided not to sponsor future royalty events.

The themes for the homecoming were ‘The World is an Open Book’, ‘It’s a Beautiful Day’, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, ‘Ghoul’s Galaxy’, ‘In the Mood with the Fabulous Forties’, ‘Camelot-Slay the Dragons’, ‘A Touch of Class’, and ‘Dog Day Afternoons’.

The St. Cloud States football team went 7 out of 9 on homecoming games losing to Michigan Tech in 1970, the University of Minnesota Morris in 1978, and the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1979.

‘80s

You could say this decade started St. Cloud’s poor taste for celebrating homecoming, with the university became strict on alcohol consumption and there was a riot in 1988, and in 1987 the homecoming parade was canceled due to students’ morning drinking at the downtown bars.

1988 homecoming riot

In the Oct. 18, 1988 issue of The University Chronicle freshman Trevor Stieg wrote, “I don’t think Friday was really a riot,” but what happened would change St. Cloud’s view on homecoming and eventually alcohol.

With just a motorcycle accident, a homecoming celebration turned into a wild night for the St. Cloud community. While the officers were assessing the motorcycle accident, crowds from nearby parties closed in and gathered at the sight.

Bob McClintick for the University Chronicle wrote, “As the number grew, people in the crowd began throwing beer cans and bottles at the officers responding to the accident,” one police officer was hit in the head by an object.

Nearly seven hundred people participated in the riots.

According to Ben McClintick at 11:30 p.m. police reinforcement arrived and set up a command center in front of the St. Cloud State Performing Arts Center. Signs were demolished, various items were set on fire, and a car flipped. Police eventually teargassed and used nightsticks to scatter the crowd. In all 34 students were arrested for the altercation.

The homecoming themes were ‘Life at the Top’, ‘Mississippi Cruise’, ‘Making Addition to Great Traditions’, ‘1950s’, ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’, ‘A Family Affair’, and ‘There No Place Like Home’. The St. Cloud State football team won 7 out of ten games in the ‘80s losing to Augustana in 1983, Morningside College in 1984, and North Dakota in 1987.

‘90s 

During the rise of the internet and a Bill Clinton presidency, the 90s SCSU rolled on with the 90’s. The decade St. Cloud State decided to reinvent homecoming so in 1996 they canceled the parade, removed the pep rally, and introduced Alcohol Awareness Week.

The homecoming themes were “The Magic of Mardi Gras,” “1991 SCSU Olympian Homecoming: Let the Fun Begin,” “Don’t Hide Your SCSU Pride,” “The Future Starts with SCSU,” “125 Years & Still Going Strong,” “Kickin’ Country,” “A New Tradition,” that happened in 1996 and in 1997, “Husky Harvest,” and “Husky Flashback.”

The St. Cloud State football team won 5 out of ten games losing to the University of North Dakota in 1990, 1993, 1998, the University of South Dakota in 1992, and the University of Northern Colorado in 1999.  

2000s

The decade that homecoming was falling apart. The Chronicle reported in 2000 about low interest in the events and the football team, and in 2003 the parade was unsuccessful with only thirteen of 200 student organizations participating. In 2009, St. Cloud police issued over 221 citations during homecoming.

The homecoming themes were ‘Passport to Adventure’, ‘Live the Legend’, ‘Hollywood’, ‘Grecian Gala’, ‘Fabulous 50s’, ‘The Great Outdoors’, and ‘Escape to Paradise’.

2010s

Homecoming 2010 was the last one for the school until 2018 because of the lack of interest in the events instead St. Cloud State decided to switch to an event called Celebrate St. Cloud that would happen 4 times during the year.

2024

This year St. Cloud is hosting its homecoming from Oct. 24th to 26th. Down below is the schedule for homecoming

Friday, Oct. 25

Planetarium show titled Back to the Moon for Good at 12 to 2 p.m. in the St. Cloud State University planetarium

A reunion for classes ending in 4 or 9 from 5 to 5:45 p.m. in the Alumni room at the Atwood Memorial Center

Gala from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Atwood Memorial Center Ballroom

St. Cloud State hockey game vs. Augustana at 7 p.m. at the Herb Brook Arena

Saturday, Oct. 25

Friends and family day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m

The planetarium show titled Back to the Moon for Good at 10 a.m., 11:45 a.m., and 1 p.m. in the University planetarium

Women’s hockey vs. St. Thomas at 11:30 a.m. in the Herb Brooks Arena 

Deans reception from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in various locations

Husky Fest from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Herb Brooks way