During the Homecoming football game, members of Iron Arrow, the University of Miami's oldest and highest honor society, enter the field during pregame ceremonies and line up on either side of the tunnel, wearing traditional Seminole patchwork jackets. The Chief, standing in front of the tunnel's entrance, holds a wrought iron arrow overhead as the players run out through the smoke. A similar ceremony takes place each season during a men's basketball, women's basketball, and baseball game. Iron Arrow also leads the Homecoming Parade through campus the night before the game.
Iron Arrow, created alongside the University's founding by our first President, Dr. Bowman Foster Ashe, is charged with preserving and upholding the University's history and traditions. The tribe honors students, faculty, staff, and alumni who exhibit five qualities: Scholarship, Leadership, Character, Humility, and Love of Alma Mater. Approximately 30 new members are selected each semester by unanimous vote of the tribe - once in the fall during Homecoming, and once in the spring, before Spring Break. Iron Arrow's original traditions were developed with consultation and supervision from members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the organization continues to have a strong relationship with the Miccosukke Tribe in South Florida. Prominent members of Iron Arrow include UM President Donna Shalala, Grammy-winning recording artist Gloria Estefan, NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, former US Congressman Dante Fascell, and Olympian Lauryn Williams.
Pictures:
*A photo from this semester's tapping day
*The Chief holding the Arrow aloft during the Homecoming parade
