College Mascot Information

They're the characters who run down the sidelines and stoke school spirit, helping the team to win. College mascots have been around for a long time, and in many cases, have come to be a symbol of the colleges they represent. They're not just used with respect to college athletics, either; many mascots come to represent the university as a whole, uniting the community and leading to greater success for the institution.

  1. Origins

    • According to Marc Sheehan, the first college mascot was an English bulldog named Handsome Dan who served as the mascot for Yale University in 1889. Mascots evolved from there to include humans, anthropomorphized nuts (such as Ohio State's Brutus Buckeye) and even a giant banana slug (the mascot at UC Santa Cruz).

    Mascot Rules

    • While there are no standardized rules for mascots, there are common conventions that come with putting on the giant mascot head or dressing up like the mascot. In general, mascots are not allowed to talk with fans, in order to maintain the illusion. According to Miriam Williamson, writing about the Elon Phoenix, mascots are also not supposed to be too aggressive; it's bad sportsmanship to confront the other team's mascot.

    Political Issues

    • Over the years, many colleges used Native American tribes as their mascots, including the Florida State Seminoles, the Utah Utes and the Illinois Fighting Illini. As Native American groups gained more power and cultural attitudes changed, the groups have spoken out about how they feel these mascots are insulting. In 2005, the NCAA, the regulating body for college sports, banned the use of these "hostile or abusive" mascots.

    Popular Mascots

    • Thanks to their imposing-sounding names, many colleges have selected mascots already in use by other schools. According to USA Today, the most popular mascots at four-year universities include the 74 teams named the Eagles, 46 named the Tigers, 39 named the Bulldogs, 33 named the Panthers and 32 named the Knights.

    Less-Than Imposing Mascots

    • On the other hand, some universities have mascots that don't seem very scary at all. It's not quite as stressful to take the field against the New York University Violets, the Whittier College Poets or the Sweet Briar College Vixens.

    The Best Mascot?

    • This debate is one without a correct answer, as people will happily name the mascot of their alma mater. According to Fox Sports' Pete Fiutak, however, the mascot that inspires the most passion is Ralphie the Buffalo, Colorado's hardworking mascot. One tradition has five sophomores take the buffalo on a run before the game to help tire the animal out.