TEMPE, Ariz. -- An early morning prank Thursday turned an
Arizona State landmark green as the Sun Devils prepared to face Oregon on
national television Thursday night.
A butte next to Sun Devil Stadium bears a giant concrete 'A'
that is typically painted gold but was colored black for ASU's annual
"blackout" game. Sometime Thursday morning, the 60-foot-tall 'A' was
painted green -- the Ducks' primary color -- presumably at the hands of
mischievous Oregon fans.
The green 'A' lit up social media and local talk radio but
was quickly restored to its black coloring by a group of ASU students.
"U of O painted A mountain green, but in no time ASU
repainted it black," ASU athletic director Steve Patterson tweeted. "Good
Stuff."
Even ASU football's official Twitter account had a little
fun with the prank:
"Is green even a team color for #Oregon anymore?
Thought they'd paint it gun metal or lightning." -- @FootballASU
Thursday certainly wasn't the first time opposing fans have
gotten to the 'A,' as fans of in-state rival Arizona typically try to paint it
red each year. The 'A,' which was installed in 1938 but replaced after a bomb
blast in 1952, is also traditionally painted white before each new academic
year and then painted gold by incoming freshman.
The 'A' has also been colored red, white and blue for
patriotic occasions, and in April 2007 was painted maroon and orange to honor
the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.
