Fact or fiction

Fact. Rising and shouting used to be restricted to "stalwart men" . . . or so the fight song said. But to make sure that Cougarettes, female athletes and fans felt included, school officials changed the third line of the anthem from "stalwart men and true" to "loyal, strong and true."

But BYU is not the only school to make its fight song politically correct. Iowa's Luther College modified the first line of its fight song from "our boys go in and fight and win" to "our teams go in and fight and win."

And other schools have unofficially modified their fight songs to include taunts, some explicit, against opposing teams.

But the only thing informally added to BYU's Cougar Song, which is played after each touchdown and field goal at football games, is a concluding trio of "rah rah rahs" and a rolling "Go, Cougars!"

And the most stalwart of fans — male and female — always include a good shout.

Are dinosaur bones stored underneath BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium?

Fact. Tons of dinosaur fossils collected by BYU's "Dinosaur Jim" are securely stored underneath the university's football stadium.

At one time, more than 120 tons of dinosaur bones lay underneath the Cougar stands, but a spokesman for BYU's Earth Science Museum said that only a third remain. The rest have been prepared and are waiting in the collections room for their chance to go on display at that museum.

In 1999, the fossils were almost moved to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, but that plan was nixed by public concerns that the world-renowned collection stay in the state. And discussions about moving some bones to Thanksgiving Point's dinosaur museum never panned out.

The Jurassic relics, which include a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull and the only known Supersaurus specimen in the world — are part of a collection amassed over 25 years by James A. Jensen, former director of the Earth Science Museum.

Only one percent of Jensen's collection is on display at the science museum, which is around the corner from LaVell Edwards Stadium.

So next time you go to cheer on the Cougs, look out for a Supersaurus!

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