The Baseball Team, 1885
Student life changed dramatically when the university reopened. Organized athletic activities began under Battle's administration. The first intercollegiate football game took place in 1888 against Wake Forest. Students soon began holding mass meetings to celebrate victories. Starting with speeches in Gerrard Hall, the crowd would then move to a field and celebrate with a large bonfire. First performed by the Glee Club in 1897, with original lyrics by William Starr Meyers, "Hark the Sound," was often sung on these occasions, and it later became the school song.