What began almost four decades ago as friendly competition now has evolved into a match of kill-or-be-killed mentality.

Tugs is known to the Greek community as much more than a little game of tug-of-war; it is a high-stakes battle for bragging rights and dominance among the participating fraternities.

“It’s a matter of pride between the houses,” said D.U. Johnson, a four-year tugger for Phi Kappa Sigma and a former member of Delta Upsilon.

Winning Tugs brings more than pride for the house that takes the title. Over the years, Tugs winners also consistently have seen higher numbers of pledges for their houses during rushes after a recent win.

The first Tugs rivalry began in 1995 when former fraternity Delta Upsilon took the championship two years in a row from the longtime winners, Pi Kappa Alpha. The tension between the two houses became heated and shifted off the Tugs field, sparking bar fights whenever members from the two fraternities met. The rivalry was stopped short in 2000 when Delta Upsilon left campus.

After that, the Pikes continued their dominance in Tugs, but their next rivals came along five years ago when Phi Kappa Sigma, the Skulls, joined the Tugs competition. Tensions heightened when the Skulls made it into the final tug against the Pikes for the title position. Two years ago, the rivalry peaked when the Skulls took the first two advantages in the final match and then lost when the Pikes took the knot in the third round. After the win, the two teams began pushing and shoving on the playing field. Last year, the rivalry continued to build when the Skulls took the win away from the Pikes.

Ghassan Khoury, president of the Skulls and a third-year tugger, said the rivalry extends beyond the tension between their house and the Pikes.

“Because we won last year … everyone is after us,” he said.

He also said the win the Skulls claimed last year was no accident.

“This year, we’re out to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke. We’re out to win it again,” he said.

Smaller rivalries exist between other houses that find themselves matched up year after year in the final tug for place. Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Pi have become rivals in recent years after a recurring trend pitted them against each other for third place in the match.

Vying for third place has sparked tension between the two houses but Lamar McDowell, a retired two-year tugger for Sigma Phi Epsilon, said the rivalry between his house and Sigma Pi goes deeper than Tugs.

“We don’t get along with them in general,” he said.

Overall, tuggers agree that with all the hatred for the other teams also comes a mutual respect because of an understanding of the grueling work that tuggers put into the sport.

Johnson said that in the end, it is just a game, but when everyone is on the ropes, Tugs becomes a more serious matter.

“You could be tugging against a person you were drinking with the night before, and you’ll want to break his arm when you get out there and tug, but when the match is over, I’m always willing to give out a cordial handshake,” he said.