Champaign Urbana University Illinois Strauch's Sack Rush Student 1913 Real Photo Postcard

The Sack Rush of 1913 captures a common, often vigorous, form of inter-class hazing prevalent in American colleges during the early 20th century. These annual contests, typically between freshmen and sophomores, served as initiation rites and demonstrations of class dominance. The notation Soph 0 Fresh 18 likely indicates a score or outcome of this particular rush, suggesting the freshmen class emerged victorious in the physical scramble, a significant point of pride in collegiate rivalries of the era.