Comments on: The Stories Behind 10 Weird College Mascots

By: Dave L

Dave L — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:01:54 +0000

Our college mascot was the Yeoman Farmer—essentially a colonial farmer holding a rifle. Then again, Oberlin did have the worst football team in the country (officially!)

By: Flu-Bird

Flu-Bird — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:53:19 +0000

Cys favorite movies must be WIZAD OF OZ and TWISTER

By: Flu-Bird

Flu-Bird — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:10:04 +0000

Theres SABASTIAN THE IBIS for the UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HURRICANES and KANSAS JAYHAWKS this gose a long way back in KANSAS history and legend and then theres the DLEWARE BLUEHENS

By: Jennie

Jennie — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:30:14 +0000

When I first walked into the student union and saw the big teeth on school sweatshirts, I wondered “Why do they have Francis the Talking Mule on the merchandise?” A graduate of CMSU, now UCM – mascot the MULES. Now that I see some of these others – I’m not quite as embarrassed for them.

By: brandon

brandon — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:52:14 +0000

#35……

The University of Akron has a kangaroo mascots so UMKC is not the only other University. U of A is also ncaa division 1 in all their sports.

By: Flu-Bird

Flu-Bird — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:13:27 +0000

Theres a team called the SHOREBIRDS their mascot looks like a realy big curlew and his name is SHERMAN THE SHOREBIRD

By: Flu-Bird

Flu-Bird — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:17:29 +0000

Cy is going on a vacation he looks like he is over worked

By: dal

dal — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:45:36 +0000

i lik the vixen

By: dal

dal — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:44:22 +0000

i want a new petfect mascot

By: Flu-Bird

Flu-Bird — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:54:34 +0000

Did you know there realy is a minor league baseball team the TOLEDO MUDHENS and then theres the MIAMI(FLA)HURICANES their mascot is a ibis named SABASTIAN and theres the GREAT LAKES LOONS and the BAKERSFEILD CONDORS

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:52:00 +0000

When the story is told of how the Artichoke became the mascot for SCC they always overlook the fifth choice students were offered, the Granite Reefers (for the Granite Reef Conversion Dam on the Salt river)

By: mb

mb — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:34:23 +0000

How about the University of North Carolina School for the Arts Pickle. Or the AMDA Panda (American Music and Dramatic Academy). Or the Randolph Community College Armadillos (in NORTH CAROLINA).

By: jp

jp — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:10:53 +0000

The mascot for the NC School of Science & Math in Durham, NC is…

The Unicorns!

When I went there, we also went by the Unis. Also, before we chose the Unicorns, the TI-83 was a potential candidate.

By: Walt

Walt — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:22:08 +0000

@kebhouse –

Interesting story on the Oglethorpe University mascot:

The Stormy Petrel is an extinct, seafaring bird. Similar to a seagull. It would land on the masts of ships back during the age of exploration.

Not sure that it’s true, but the story I’ve often heard is that the birds developed an oily substance on their wings, which was quite flammable.

Upon the appearance of a stormy petrel on their deck, sailors would know that land was near. They’d wait until dark, take a match to the bird’s wings, and watch the direction it flew in order to follow it to shore.

Again, not sure if it’s fact or fiction…but it makes for an interesting story behind a landlocked University whose mascot is an extinct bird.

—

I’m also a big fan of the Purple Cows from Williams College, and the Fighting Christians from Eloy. Nothing to strike the fear of God into a rival football team like a Fighting Christian.

By: Yodelbutt

Yodelbutt — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:40:19 +0000

Allow me to add my old high school’s mascot to the list: The David H. Hickman High Kewpies.

‘Cause few things in life feel better than telling a defeated opponent that “you’ve just been beaten by a bunch of naked androgynous baby-dolls.”

By: The Bone

The Bone — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:08:02 +0000

The Long Beach State Dirtbags (according to the site):

The unofficial nickname of Long Beach State 49er baseball team refers to the program’s style of play and success against higher profile programs. The moniker was first coined for Coach Snow’s first team in 1989 which was comprised of nearly all new players. Playing without a home field (LBCC, Cerritos JC and Blair Field), and practicing at a local all-dirt Pony Field, that team won its first 18 games and advanced to the 49ers first College World Series appearance. Then-infield coach Dave Malpass would take his infielders to the all-dirt field for their rigorous workout. The infielders would return to the regular practice field after their sessions covered in dirt. Thus the name “Dirtbags” was born. The name resurfaced again in 1993 when the 12-12 49ers rallied to win 34 of their next 41 games and finish three outs short of the National Championship game. The “Dirtbags” were once again a fan favorite at the 1998 College World Series as the country received a lesson in “Dirtbag” baseball.

Even though it says “unofficial”, there’s not a fan in the stands at Blair that knows them by anything other than the Dirtbags. Except occasionally the D-Bags when they’re losing.

By: Matt G.

Matt G. — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:56:39 +0000

Our high school was nicknamed “The Rocks”. The school was built on top of an old rock quarry.

By: Timothy Horrigan

Timothy Horrigan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:23:31 +0000

The Stanford Cardinal makes sense because the school colors are Cardinal & White… except USC’s colors are Cardinal and Gold and the two school’s colors are very different shades of red. Stanford’s cardinal is very close to a primary red, much like the bird. USC’s cardinal is a deeply saturated purpleish-red, much like the robes worn by the old single dudes in Rome.

By: Timothy Horrigan

Timothy Horrigan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:46:49 +0000

You forgot to mention the University of Irvine Anteaters. They were like, some of the weird mascots you mentioned, chosen in a poll where the students voted for a joke candidate.

I went to grad school at USC, which has an odd mascot, the Trojan. It was not named after the condom… they got the name because Cecil B. DeMille recruited the band to play a marching band in an epic about the Trojan wars, and they kept the uniforms afterwards. (It was a silent movie, ironically.) The nickname previously was the Wesleyans.

I did my undergrad at Columbia who have a fairly generic nickname the Lions. It doesn’t fit the name of the school, which is the Latin word for “pigeon.” But it does fit the original name of the school, Kings College. The pigeon would have been a better mascot, I think: it even fits the school colors, which are a greyish blue and white, much the same colors as a typical pigeon.

By: JfromChicago

JfromChicago — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:53:18 +0000

I went to Loyola University Chicago. We’re called the Ramblers, but our mascot is a wolf.

By: Jett

Jett — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:04:28 +0000

Go boilers!!!!!!!111111111

By: Scott-O

Scott-O — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:08:37 +0000

Charlie- a “hokie” is a castrated turkey, not turkey poo.

David G.- our mascot was a friggin kangaroo named “Moe.” Our team name was/is the “Keydets” and the only thing I can see these two sharing is their first letter. I have yet to see anything in the historical works of the Virginia Military Institute to explain why a kangaroo and why “Moe.” The closest I can come up with is a large fan base of Three Stooges fans (hence “Moe”) and someone trying to get a free trip to Australia to round up a fitting marsupial.

By: amanderpanderer

amanderpanderer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:35:27 +0000

We’re so used to it, since it’s a big 10 school, that one really thinks of it as odd, but the Ohio State Buckeyes IS a weird college mascot. I’m an alum, and I’ve never quite understood why the mascot is an inedible nut.

By: Coeli

Coeli — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:35:26 +0000

More than one Quaker college has had the paradoxical “Fighting Quakers” nickname. My alma mater, Earlham, switched to the less glorious “Hustling Quakers.”

Fight, fight, Inner Light,
Kill, Quakers, kill!

By: Lexie

Lexie — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:13:41 +0000

I still think it’s funny that Duke and Wake Forest, two schools with religious backgrounds, have a Devil and a Demon as mascots. Nice article.

By: Katy M

Katy M — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:09:11 +0000

Try to picture the mascot for Tivy High School Fighting Antlers in Kerrville, Texas – http://www.kerrvilleisd.net/tivy/default.htm

Go, AC Roos! Two high schools in Texas – Killeen and Weatherford – also have kangaroo mascots, but only one other university in the U.S. – U Missouri-Kansas City http://www.umkckangaroos.com/ My Australian friends are a bit mystified by the mascot concept…

By: Charlie

Charlie — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:09:01 +0000

I went to VPI (now usually called VA TECH, since the school changed its name to Virginia Polytechnic Institute AND State University and VPISU has less appeal) where the mascot was a turkey. The teams would be called the Fighting Gobblers or the Hokies. I remember the story in the Alternative Newspaper saying that hokie was slang for turnkey feces. Never had this confirmed, however.

By: Rebekah

Rebekah — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:01:40 +0000

how did Rhode Island College get on the List and the Rhode Island School of Design?! Our mascot is a giant penis, Scrotie!!! the Hockey team is the Nads. GO NADS! and the basketball team is the balls, in the heat of the game the balls stick together! also when risd had a swim team combined with brown we were the Wet Dreams the list goes on. RISD wins with Scrotie!

By: allswellinhell

allswellinhell — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:27:03 +0000

The Montgomery Biscuits, you guys! Come on!

Also, the El Campo (Texas) fighting Ricebirds!

By: Martin

Martin — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:51:27 +0000

The Boll Weevil is the mascot for the University of Arkansas at Monticello, a smaller college in the southern part of the state.

By: Adam Schmidt

Adam Schmidt — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:14:31 +0000

Athletics are not the focus of campus life but do provide a rare sense of school spirit. RISD sports have fluctuated over the years with the RISD archives containing photos of football, baseball, and basketball teams spanning the very early 20th century. Yearbooks and alumni reveal the RISD Student Association funded basketball teams throughout the 1950s and 1960s that were called the ‘Nads’. An ice hockey team formed soon after using the same name, ‘Nads’. The ice hockey team played through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with little record of other athletics. In 2000, a new basketball team was formed under the name ‘Balls’ to complement the ice hockey team, each with its own slogan: “When the heat is on, the Balls stick together”, and “Go Nads” (deliberately sounding like “gonads”). Currently, these are the two most active and organized sports teams at RISD, with basketball the only sport played at varsity-level competition. Together, both teams provide a rally ground for students, faculty, administration, and staff alike. Intramural level teams round out the offering in rock climbing, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, frisbee, skiing and snowboarding.
In 2001, the Nads created the infamous, and unofficial mascot, “Scrotie,” a man-sized penis wearing a red cape. RISD students claim Cooper Union and Pratt Institute as their archrivals in sporting events, and the two hold an annual basketball match in both Providence and New York.

By: kmac

kmac — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:18:41 +0000

Another ISU grad here (82) I knew there was a reason I liked this web site!

Let’s hope we don’t have another perfect season in football this year.

GO CLONES!

By: Pond Girl

Pond Girl — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:47:24 +0000

I’m with Aimi. There is nothing so strange as the WKU Hilltopper. What is that thing – the lost child of grimace??

By: totalcheese

totalcheese — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:50:36 +0000

In high school I was a flaming arrow. Nothing strikes fear into the opponent like playing the flaming arrows.

By: Steveo

Steveo — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:03:12 +0000

I graduated from Alpine High School in Alpine, TX… home of the Fightin’ Bucks! Not only is it a great Spoonerism, the girls’ teams went by the confusing title of the Lady Bucks.

By: Loree

Loree — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:01:15 +0000

I went to Austin College in Sherman, TX – home of the Kangaroos. Get Roo’d!

http://www.austincollege.edu/Info.asp?3928

By: PeteRepeat42

PeteRepeat42 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:41:17 +0000

Nothing can beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Puckman! http://www.lib.rpi.edu/dept/library/html/Archives/gallery/symbols/puck man.gif A giant hockey playing hockey puck. Go RPI!

By: CJung

CJung — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:15:42 +0000

I’m another ISU grad (’85). Personally I wished they just tried harder to make the Cyclone the mascot. Sure it would be difficult to do costumes & such but at least a cyclone is a powerful, scary, overwhelming force of nature (IMHO, a lot better than the Ohio State Buckeyes – a nut – ooo scary). The cardinal – while a very nice bird – just doesn’t compare. Sure you can give it a fierce expression, bared teeth and put it in farmer boots but it’s still a pretty songbird.

A few years ago, a cyclone touched down on central campus in the middle of the day. Many trees went down and IIRC a couple of backpacks were lifted off students and whisked away (providing an excellent excuse for not turning in homework). Having our mascot visit in “living form” is not so great actually.

Go ‘clones

By: liberty

liberty — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:35:34 +0000

When my mother attended Rosary College their teams were naturally enough called the “Rosary Beads” with an unofficial ‘mascot’ of a giant Rosary that some of the girls would bring to games.

By: Tusk 1

Tusk 1 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:39:04 +0000

The University of Arkansas mascot is the Fighting Razorback.

By: seekshelter

seekshelter — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:55:02 +0000

that geoduck…was oddly phallic…

By: BoT

BoT — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:30:12 +0000

Stanford use to be the Indians, until that didn’t work so well anymore. They changed it to Cardinals, because weird color names were in for about a month and a half in the seventies. This got changed to the singular Cardinal, because, well, just because people like to be difficult. The Tree is a totally unofficial mascot, and is part of the band.

By: Glasses

Glasses — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:08:35 +0000

Evergreen Grad here representing. Not only is Speedy the Geoduck the most awesome of all mascots, he is also the MOST PHALLIC. When they debuted the new mascot costume while I was at school, the giggling would not end.

Lyrics from our fight song (although, being a notorious hippie school, we don’t fight, really),
“Go, Geoducks go,
Through the mud and the sand,
let’s go.
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.

Go, Geoducks go,
Stretch your necks when the tide
is low
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.”

And yes, I want to remind everyone that it is an accredited college.

By: Holly

Holly — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:28:11 +0000

I went to the University of Delaware, and we were the Fighting Blue Hens. Because General Lee used to love fighting blue hens. I am oh so proud…
Also known as the “ass-kickin’ chickens” to many of the students…

By: Sharon O.

Sharon O. — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:27:23 +0000

Can anyone explain the Stanford Cardinal – it’s a tree, seriously…a tree !?!

By: David Govett

David Govett — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:21:20 +0000

My university’s mascot is the anteater. Beat that for irrelevance.

By: Alice

Alice — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:14:37 +0000

Our mascot is a scottsman since we are the Blue Hose at Presbyterian College

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:14:11 +0000

I go to Brevard College in Brevard, NC. Our mascot is kind of weak (Tommy the Twister for a school in the Appalachian mountains), so my friends and I think the mascot should be changed to the Fighting White Squirrels to represent the population of white squirrels on campus and around town.

By: Larry

Larry — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:57:32 +0000

Everyone knows that the cardinal is the fiercest of all songbirds.

I like the Pittsburg State Gorillas.

By: Fragbert

Fragbert — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:39:50 +0000

The University of California at Santa Cruz boasts the Banana Slugs, arguably the finest mascot ever. John Travolta even sports a UCSC Slug t-shirt in Pulp Fiction.