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Note: Yearbook page and image scans may be low quality due to the age of both the yearbook and the scan.
World War II & Devil-Goat Day
WWII changed Devil-Goat Day from an event that fostered friendly competition between classes just for fun to one that used the competition to raise funds and support for the US troops. The fun and festivities of Devil-Goat Day were not lost on campus during the war. Instead, the opportunity was taken to raise funds for the war effort, and the winning team was rewarded with war bonds in their name.1
(This analysis comes from the sources available to us during the process of the Devil-Goat Day Team’s research.)
“Who will Win?” 1941
The goat and devil mascots face off as Devil-Goat Day festivities commence.
“Buy War Stamps,” March 26, 1943 ‘The Bullet’
The Devil-Goat Day festivities during WWII included using friendly competition to encourage students to buy war bonds. Many students knew men in Quantico or men involved in the military, which would make them very motivated to compete for their sake.
Citation: Bullet v. 16: no. 22, 1943-03-26, Special Collections & University Archives, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington.
Devil-Goat Rally! 1943
Devil-Goat Day festivities featured a rally before and during the day of competition. This year students decorated posters for their teams with stickers to represent themselves among their classes. This rally took place during WWII and the school and student body took this opportunity to buy war bonds. At the same time that students were showing their support of their team, they were also supporting their country.
Citation: battlefield194300univ, Special Collections & University Archives, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington.
“Devil-Goat Rally Slated For April 2” ‘The Bullet’
This page from the school newspaper, ‘The Bullet’ features an article on Devil-Goat Day and a large illustration of a devil and goat. This segment was written to get the students of MWC in the spirit of friendly competition between the devil and goats. This specific newspaper edition was written during WWII, and the Devil-Goat Day celebrations during the war were also an opportunity for the school to raise money for war bonds.
Citation: Bullet-Fredericksburg_VA_vol-16_1943-03-26, Special Collections & University Archives, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington.
Student’s Beanie, 1945
Citation: “Beanie, Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia,” University of Mary Washington Artifacts in the University Archives, accessed April 18, 2026, https://artifacts.umwarchives.org/items/show/6.
Field Day!
“Safe!” 1947
Softball has entered into the various sports played between devils and goats to continue their friendly competition.
Citation: The Battlefield 1947 p. 273, UMW Publications in the Internet Archives, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Mary Washington.
Devil Captain on the Way to Victory, 1944
Field hockey teams divided into even and odd graduation years continued in the 1940s, with this game looking in the favor of the devils.
Citation: The Battlefield 1944 p. 241, UMW Publications in the Internet Archives, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Mary Washington.
Hoops for Devil-Goat Day, 1944
Basketball was one of the sports played between devils and goats to keep competition alive.
Citation: The Battlefield 1944 p. 240, UMW Publications in the Internet Archives, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Mary Washington.
Page 108 1941 battlefield
Citation: The Battlefield 1941 p. 108, UMW Publications in the Internet Archives, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Mary Washington.
“The Ways of Jolly Juniors,” 1949
As the juniors of 1949 get prepared to be seniors, they took this page to reminisce on all the fun they had in 1949, including the fun of Devil-Goat Day.
Citation: The Battlefield 1949 p. 85, UMW Publications in the Internet Archives, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Mary Washington.
1949-1950* Bayonet (Student Handbook)
1949 Student Handbook
This is an image of the Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia student handbook named the “Bayonet” for the year 1949-1950. Find more on page 88 at https://umw.access.preservica.com/IO_7b74aeaf-4581-4d74-b62c-ead874c7bfd6/.
Devil-Goat Day Swim Meets, 1949
Devil-Goat Rivalry, 1949
Devil-Goat Day in School Sports, 1949
A Girl and Her Goat, 1944
This illustration from the 1944 Battlefield of a girl and a goat was a fun addition to the yearbook, never letting the student body forget their dedication to their teams.
Citation: The Battlefield 1944 p. 61, UMW Publications in the Internet Archives, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Mary Washington.
*Note: this item is also included in the 1950s decade post!
- Bullet v. 16: no. 22, 1943-03-26, Special Collections & University Archives, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington. ↩︎
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