MASCOT NE S D by Gerry Bishop school mascots!S MAThree cheers for sports fans—ready for some March schools bring live mascots to games, but, for most, OK, Madness? Starting on March 17, people all people in animal costumes play the roles. Either across the country will be going crazy, way, the mascots are there to bring their teams rooting for their favorite college basketball luck, to cheer them on to victory, and to tell team to win the NCAA Tournament. On the everyone, “This is who we are!” courts will be the players, battling for the title. Dribble on over to the next page to meet And on the sidelines—strutting and leading some of these animal mascots. You’ll soon find cheers—will be the teams’ mascots. out why they can make fans everywhere stand TM Many schools have animals as mascots. Some up and cheer—like MAD!
all names, trademarks, service marks, and logos featured or referred to within this story are the property of their respective trademark holders and used with permission. these trademark holders are not affiliated with national wildlife federation and do not sponsor or endorse nwf or this story. 22 23 WILDCATS BULLDOGS —a These stocky, powerful dogs were once used “Wildcat” is another name for a bobcat to round up wild bulls. The dogs were trained fierce predator about the size of a boxer dog. to grab on to a bull’s nose and hold the huge Bobcats roam deep forests and other wild animal until someone could rope it. places in North America, on the lookout for Today’s bulldogs are bred to be gentle, loving prey to pounce on. Bobcats have a reputation pets. They no longer tackle bulls, but because for being fast, alert, and full of fight. So it’s no of their “tough-guy” looks, many schools have wonder that “wildcat” is a favorite mascot of made them their team mascots. Bulldog mascots school teams everywhere. Famous wildcat include . . . mascots include . . . • Yale University: Handsome Dan XVII • University of Arizona: Wilbur the Wildcat • Mississippi State University: Bully • Villanova • Butler University: Butler Blue III University: (right). • University of Georgia: Uga IX Will D. Cat • Kansas State University: Willie the The University of Georgia has a live . Can you guess Wildcat mascot named Uga IX TM where the name comes from? • University of TM YALE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF UNIVERSITY OF Kentucky: GEORGIA ARIZONA COURTESY OF ROB SAYE/UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA Scratch
PICTURES > PAUL SAWER/FLPA/MINDEN ALLIGATORS At least three colleges have alligator mascots. One is the University of Florida. It’s not hard to figure that one out. After all, there are more gators living in Florida than in any other state. That may also be why the team has two alligator mascots: Albert E. Gator and UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Alberta Gator. San Francisco State University chose an There also are no alligators in Pennsylvania, ) as a team mascot alligator (named Gator the home state of Allegheny College. But because the animal is “well built, steadfast, “Allegheny (al-uh-GAY-nee) Alligators” steadily moving toward its goal.” The university just sounded good. The mascot’s name is doesn’t seem to mind that the closest wild Chompers. alligator lives more than 2,000 miles away!
PICTURES DONALD M. JONES/MINDEN 24 25 BADGERS The University of Wisconsin is the only university with a badger for a mascot. The mascot’s name is Bucky, and he looks a bit like a real badger with a striped sweater and a bad attitude. Real badgers are fierce, super-tough animals. But that’s not why UW has one as a team mascot. The name comes from the state’s official nickname: The Badger State. This might lead you to believe lots of badgers live in Wisconsin. Not so. “Badgers” was also a name for men who worked in Wisconsin’s mines long, long ago. And that’s how the state got its UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN nickname.
SHATTIL & ROZINSKI/NATUREPL.COM BRUINS UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) CARDINALS fans started out with a bear cub as a A little tweety bird as a team mascot? mascot. But soon they wanted a mascot that That’s not going to impress anyone on a was a bit more ferocious. So they picked basketball court! the grizzly bear. But that was the mascot Well, having a cardinal as a mascot claimed by the University of Montana—one doesn’t seem to bother University of of their opponents. So they settled on the Louisville players. Year after year, they are name “bruin,” which is another word for one of the nation’s best basketball teams. “bear.” But take a look at their mascot, Joe But you still have to wonder: Why a cardi , and you can see that this bruin is still a nal? It’s because Louisville is in Kentucky, grizzly—just not called one. where the cardinal is the state bird. To give Cardinal Bird, as folks call the mascot, a bit more spunk, an artist added some teeth and a snarly look. Seems the school is slowly working its way from “Cardinal Bird” to “Bad Bird.” Tough enough? Other schools with cardinals as their mascots include . . . • Lamar University: Big Red • Plattsburgh State University: Burghy • Wesleyan University: Cardinal Bird
IRDS AS ART (26B, 27B) UNIVERSITY OF /B • Ball State University: Charlie Cardinal LOUISVILLE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, • Iowa State University: Cy the Cardinal LOS ANGELES
26 ARTHUR MORRIS 27 BLUEJAYS Here we go with another tweety HUSKIES bird as a mascot. What’s up with Husky dogs are famous for their strength, that? Well, blue jays can be full of endurance, and toughness. It’s no wonder, fight—not a bad thing for any team. But for then, that many colleges and universities Creighton University, it’s all about color. have chosen the husky as a mascot. In 1923, a contest was held to pick a One of the regular “top dogs” in college mascot for the university. Out of 200 entries, basketball is the University of Connecticut “Bluejays” was the winner—chosen because team. UConn is the school’s nickname. And the bird matches the school colors of blue that sounds like Yukon—a part of Canada and white. where huskies are often used as sled Like Louisville, Creighton has given its dogs. But there’s really no connection. A mascot a new “fightin’ mad” look.Billy husky became the team mascot before the Bluejay is now bold and proud, according school’s nickname was created. The dog is to the university’s president. Trouble is, called Jonathon, after Jonathon Trumball, Billy now looks a lot like the mascot of the first governor of Connecticut. Other husky Toronto Blue Jays professional baseball mascots include . . . team. Toronto’s message to Creighton: • St. Cloud State University: Blizzard “Change it again!” • University of Southern Maine: More birds in blue that serve as mascots Champ the Husky ® include . . . • University of Washington: Dubs TM • Johns Hopkins University: Jay (live husky); Harry the Husky UNIVERSITY OF • Elmhurst College: Victor E. Bluejay (costumed person) CONNECTICUT CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
• Northwestern University: King Husky y bill mcmullen blue jay photo donated to nwf b .COM < • Northeastern University: Paws DE MEESTER/ARCO/NATUREPL
Baehr. So, to urge the team to victory, a cheerleader suddenly shouted out, “They may be Wildcats, but we have a BEARCATS Baehr-cat on our side.” To some people, the Cincinnati mascot What in the world is a bearcat? An animal from may look like nothing more than an angry Asia, a binturong (bin-TOOR-ong), is sometimes kitty. But to all the fans at UC, it’s an awesome called “bearcat,” but it isn’t a bear or a cat. bearcat! So how did the University of Cincinnati come And guess what! Here are some other teams up with a “bearcat” as a mascot? Here’s the story: that have bearcat mascots: One hundred years ago on October 31, 1914, • Willamette University: Blitz ® the university was playing football against the • Northwest Missouri State University: Bobby powerful University of Kentucky “Wildcats.” • Sam Houston State University: Sammy and Cincinnati was struggling on the field, even UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Samantha Bearkat = though it had a great fullback named Leonard
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