Why do Revolutionary War reenactors fire the Rutgers cannon at home football games and commencement? In 1776, 10 years after the founding of Rutgers as Queen’s College, classes were suspended as students went off to war. Each cannon blast commemorates that pivotal moment in Rutgers and American history. The tradition started in 1976 with a group of Revolutionary War reenactors – led by Jack Nelson – and a broken cannon bought in 1949 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the first college football game. The group fixed the cannon and fired successful test shots, catching the attention and approval of then athletic director, Fred Gruninger. Ever since, the canon rings out multiple times during Rutgers Football home games and now also signals the end of each Rutgers-New Brunswick and Rutgers Health commencement ceremony. #DYKRutgers #RutgersHistory