Who is the mascot of the Florida State University football team?
Osceola and Renegade
The Osceola and Renegade mascots were conceived by Bill Durham, a Tallahassee businessman and Florida State alumnus. He came up with the concept of a horseback-riding Seminole mascot as early as 1962, when he was voted into the school's homecoming court. He returned to the idea in 1977, and won the support of Ann Bowden, wife of head football coach Bobby Bowden, who helped make the idea a reality. Durham contacted the Seminole Tribe of Florida about the project, and chairman Howard Tommie had tribe members make the first costume for Osceola. Durham provided the horse, while Bowden helped acquire the various permits necessary to allow a horse onto the field.
Texas Tech Red Raiders football
The Masked Rider is Texas Tech University's oldest mascot, and was the first official mounted mascot in the country. The tradition began in 1936, when "ghost riders" were dared to circle the field prior to home football games. The Masked Rider became an official mascot in 1954, when Joe Kirk Fulton led the team onto the field at the Gator Bowl. According to reports from those present at the game, the crowd sat in stunned silence as they watched Fulton and his horse Blackie rush onto the football field, followed by the team. After a few moments, the silent crowd burst into cheers. Ed Danforth, a writer for the "Atlanta Journal" who witnessed the event, later wrote, "No team in any bowl game ever made a more sensational entrance." In 2000, The Masked Rider tradition was commemorated with the unveiling of a statue outside of the university's Frazier Alumni Pavilion. The sculpture, created by artist Grant Speed, is 25 percent larger than life.
Today the Masked Rider, with guns up, leads the team onto the field for all home games. This mascot, adorned in a distinctive gaucho hat like the ones worn by members of the marching band, is one of the most visible figures at Texas Tech.
Florida State Seminoles football
In 1902 Florida State College students, supported by president Albert A. Murphree, organized the school's first official football club to play against other schools and teams. The team was known as the "Florida State College Eleven" and W. W. Hughes, professor of Latin and the head of men's sports at the school, served as the first coach. They played their first game against the Bainbridge Giants, a city team from Bainbridge, Georgia, defeating them 5–0. The team then played back-to-back matches against Florida Agricultural College (which later merged into what is now the University of Florida) one week apart, winning the first 6–0 and losing the second 0–6. The following season student enthusiasm grew even more, and the Eleven arranged a full schedule of six games. They competed against teams such as the University of Florida in Lake City (as Florida Agricultural College was then called), Georgia Tech, and the East Florida Seminary (another school that merged into the University of Florida), and finished the season by competing against Stetson College in Jacksonville for "The Florida Times-Union"'s Championship Cup. The following year Jack Forsythe, later the first head coach of the Florida Gators, replaced Hughes as coach, and the Eleven won the unofficial "state championship" by defeating Stetson in Tallahassee. Jock Hanvey assisted Forsythe.
Pistol Pete (Oklahoma State University)
Pistol Pete is the athletics mascot of Oklahoma State University. The Pistol Pete mascot costume features traditional cowboy attire and a headpiece resembling Frank Eaton. Pistol Pete has been the mascot for the Oklahoma State Cowboys since 1923.
University High School (Orlando, Florida)
The school's mascot is a Florida Cougar named Casey the Cougar. The school colors are navy blue, and vegas gold. In 2004, the shade of gold was changed from a yellow gold to varsity gold. University's main rivals are Colonial High School and Timber Creek High School. UHS was built as a relief school for CHS in 1990 and Timber Creek was built as a relief school for UHS in 2002. East River was also built as a relief school for both University and Timber Creek in 2009.
Sammy Seminole
Both Sammy Seminole and the basketball mascot were eventually retired by the school in order to find a more respectful school mascot. In 1977 they were replaced by Chief Osceola and Renegade. Chief Osceola has been supported by some members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Monk Bonasorte
Francis Joseph "Monk" Bonasorte (1957 – November 19, 2016) was an All-American college football player for Florida State University (FSU) who worked in various semi-pro sports leagues before returning to Florida State to head the school's Varsity Club.
Cy the Cardinal
Cy the Cardinal is the mascot of Iowa State University's sports teams.
University of Central Florida
UCF is a space-grant university. Its official colors are black and gold, and the university logo is Pegasus, which "symbolizes the university's vision of limitless possibilities." The university's intercollegiate sports teams, known as the "UCF Knights" and represented by mascot Knightro, compete in NCAA Division I and the American Athletic Conference.
Southeastern University (Florida)
Southeastern University teams are nicknamed the Fire and the school's mascot is known as Scorch. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing in The Sun Conference, formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC). The Fire are associate members of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) after competing in both Division II and, more recently, Division I. The university added softball, men's tennis, and men's & women's cross country during the 2012-13 school year, and women's golf for 2013-14. Southeastern currently competes in seven men's and seven women's sports, after the addition of football in the 2014-15 academic year. Men's wrestling was added in the 2015-16 academic year, becoming the state's only collegiate scholarship program.
Florida State Seminoles football
Fisher resigned as FSU head coach on December 1, 2017, to accept a record ten-year, $75 million contract to become head coach at Texas A&M. Defensive line coach and former defensive lineman Odell Haggins was named interim head coach, becoming Florida State's first African-American head coach, and coached in his first game the next day against Louisiana Monroe. The Seminoles won, extending their bowl streak to an NCAA record 36 seasons. He went on to coach the Seminoles in the bowl game, leading them to a win and their 41st consecutive winning season.
Florida State Seminoles football
As early as the 1890s, Florida State had a football team. Florida State University traces the start of its athletic program to 1902, when Florida State College played the first of its three seasons. From 1902 to 1904, the institution then known as Florida State College fielded a varsity football team called "The Eleven" that played other teams. The Florida State players wore gold uniforms with a large purple F on the front. Their pants were lightly padded, but their upper bodies were largely unprotected. Leather helmets with ear guards covered their heads, and shoehorn-shaped metal nose guards were strapped across their faces. In 1905, the state reorganized its secondary education under the Buckman Act and the football team moved to the University of Florida. In 1947, Florida's university system faced a heavy influx of returning soldiers taking advantage of the G.I. Bill. To accommodate the demand, on May 15, 1947, the Governor signed an act of the Legislature returning Florida State College for Women to coeducational status and naming it The Florida State University. This is recognized as the beginning of Florida State University's current American football program.
Missouri Tigers football
Truman the Tiger was introduced as the school's mascot against the Utah State Aggies in 1986, receiving his name from former president Harry S Truman. Truman has been named the "Nation's Best Mascot" three times since 1986, most recently in 2004.
The Oregon Duck
The Oregon Duck is the mascot of the University of Oregon Ducks athletic program, based on Disney's Donald Duck character through a special license agreement. The mascot wears a green and yellow costume, and a green and yellow beanie cap with the word "Oregon" written on it.
Chief Noc-A-Homa
Noc-a-Homa was eventually replaced as the mascot by the characters "Homer" and "Rally". This has not, however, circumvented the introduction of other Native American-inspired traditions for Braves fans, such as the "Tomahawk Chop," adapted from Florida State's popular war chant upon the arrival of Florida State University multi-sport star Deion Sanders .
Sparky the Sun Devil
Sparky the Sun Devil is the official mascot of Arizona State University. Originally the ASU athletic teams' mascot was an owl, then became a "Normal" (because ASU was founded as a normal school). It was later changed to a bulldog in an attempt to make the school – Arizona State Teacher's College at the time – appear more in line with Yale and other universities that held a higher level of respect. The "State Press", the student newspaper, ran frequent appeals during the fall of 1946, urging the Bulldog to be replaced by the new Sun Devil. On November 8, 1946, the student body voted 819 to 196 to make the change. On November 20, as reported by the "Arizona Republic", the student council made it official. The following day, the first Arizona State team played as the Sun Devils. Two years later, alumnus and Disney illustrator Berk Anthony designed "Sparky", a devil holding a trident (colloquially referred to as a pitchfork). Anthony is rumored to have based Sparky's facial features on that of his former boss, Walt Disney. Sparky is officially known as a "mischievous imp", with no other backstory than that.
Florida Atlantic University
Since 2002, Florida Atlantic students have been using Owl Fingers (the "OK" hand sign) to show school pride and wish the athletic teams luck during football point after attempts (PATs) and basketball free throws. The Florida Atlantic University Athletics Department has chosen to use Owl Fingers as part of its "Salute the Hoot" 2012 marketing campaign that encourages students to "proudly raise the hand salute that depicts the eyes of the owl, FAU's mascot."
Florida Panthers
On April 20, 1993, a press conference in Ft. Lauderdale announced that the team would be named Florida Panthers, with former New York Islanders general manager Bill Torrey as president and Bobby Clarke as general manager. The team is named for the Florida panther, an endangered species of large cat endemic to the nearby Everglades region. Once the logos and uniforms were unveiled on June 15, the team also announced its financial commitment to the panther preservation cause. Huizenga held the Panthers trademark since 1991, when he purchased it from a group of Tampa investors who sought to create an MLB team in the Tampa Bay area.
2013 Florida State Seminoles football team
Florida State ended the 2012 season, ranked #8 with a 12–2 record (7–1 in ACC play); they finished the season as champions of the ACC and BCS Orange Bowl champions. They were led by head coach Jimbo Fisher in his third year of head coaching. Eleven players from the 2012 team were taken in the 2013 NFL Draft.
List of Florida Gators football players in the NFL
This list of Florida Gators football players includes notable former college football players for the Florida Gators football team that represents the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and who have played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) during its regular season. This list includes such former Gators players as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Jack Youngblood, and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith. (This list does not include notable former Gators football players who never played in a regular season NFL game; reference should be made to the Florida Gators football main article for lists of other notable players who did not play in the NFL.)
Florida Atlantic Owls
The logo and mascot of Florida Atlantic University's athletic teams is the burrowing owl. Owlsley is the name of the mascot for Florida Atlantic University. The presence of this bird has been popular on the land of the university, even preceding the construction of FAU. At the dedication ceremony in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson even made notice and reference to the popular presence of the bird. In 1971, the National Audubon Society designated FAU's land an official owl sanctuary, honoring the tradition of the bird's presence and moving to protect the birds from attempts to expand construction of the university. Owls are still dominant in their presence on the Boca Raton campus to this day. With the addition of intercollegiate athletics in the mid-1980s, the university used the bird as its mascot - an animal that denotes wisdom, determination and cognizance.
Florida–Florida State football rivalry
Zook's third and final Florida–Florida State game as the Gators' coach started a six-game series winning streak for the Gators. With Florida's hiring of head coach Urban Meyer (who now coaches Ohio State) after Zook's departure, the Gators again rose to national prominence, winning the program's second and third national championships in 2006 and 2008, while Florida State struggled to regain the level of success for which the program was known during the 1990s.
Cultural appropriation
While the leadership of nearly all Native American tribes object to their depictions as sports mascots, only one tribe explicitly approves of such representations. The Florida State Seminoles use the iconography of the Seminole tribe. Their mascots are Osceola and Renegade, depictions of the Seminole chief Osceola and his Appaloosa horse. After the NCAA attempted to ban the use of Native American names and iconography in college sports in 2005, the Seminole Tribe of Florida passed a resolution offering explicit support for FSU's use of Seminole culture and Osceola as a mascot; the university was granted a waiver, citing the close relationship with and consultation between the team and the tribe. In 2013, the tribe's chairman objected to outsiders meddling in tribal approval, stating that the FSU mascot and use of Seminole iconography "represents the courage of the people who were here and are still here, known as the Unconquered Seminoles." Conversely, in 2013, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma expressed disapproval of "the use of all American Indian sports-team mascots in the public school system, by college and university level and by professional sports teams", and not all members of the tribe's Florida branch are supportive of its stance.
Dan Magill
Uga V, Georgia's mascot from 1990–99, carried the official name of "Uga IV's Magillicuddy II" in honor of Magill. The bulldog was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1997 and was named the best mascot in college sports in the same publication. Uga V had previously garnered national attention when he lunged at Auburn football player Robert Baker in a four-overtime Georgia victory in 1996.
Albert and Alberta Gator
The University of Florida fielded its first official intercollegiate sports team (football) in the fall of 1906. It adopted orange and blue as its official colors, combining the orange and black of the former Florida Agricultural College in Lake City with the blue and white of the former East Florida Seminary in Gainesville, the university's two oldest predecessor institutions. The football team did not initially have an official nickname or mascot, and was often referred to as the "Orange and Blue" or "Pee Wee's Boys," after the team's first head coach, Jack "Pee Wee" Forsythe.
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of American football. The Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team is known for its storied history, distinctive helmet, fight song and colors as well as the many traditions associated with the school.
Carolina Panthers
Sir Purr, an anthropomorphic black cat who wears a jersey numbered '00', has been the Panthers' mascot since their first season. During games, Sir Purr provides sideline entertainment through skits and "silly antics". The mascot participates in a number of community events year-round, including a monthly visit to the patients at Levine Children's Hospital. Sir Purr also hosts the annual Mascot Bowl, an event which pits pro and college mascots against each other during halftime at a selected Panthers home game.
List of Major League Baseball mascots
The original Billy The Marlin was John Routh, who spent 10 years (1993–2002) entertaining Marlins fans. Routh previously portrayed the University of Miami mascots, Sebastian the Ibis and The Miami Maniac from 1983 to 1993, and prior to that, Cocky for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
Tamaskan Dog
In September 2010, a TDR registered male Tamaskan named Wave became the official Live Mascot of North Carolina State University's football team: NC State Wolfpack. Wave (a.k.a. "Tuffy") now attends most home games and can be seen on the sidelines.
List of University of West Florida people
UWF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. It is a doctoral/research university, specializing in engineering and the humanities. Its mascot is an Argonaut, and its logo is the Chambered Nautilus.
Florida Everblades
The Everblades' logo features a gator-head design fused in the form of an ice skate. Barnstorm Creative Group, a Vancouver graphic design company, designed the logo. Barnstorm was contacted by Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, who came up with the idea of choosing the Everblades' colors as blue and green, in tribute to the Hartford Whalers team that Karmanos moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. The Everblades' inaugural home opener featured a pre-game ceremony in which a large alligator was brought onto the ice to pay tribute to the team's name and logo, as well as Florida's vast population of reptile species. The Everblades won their first Kelly Cup on May 23, 2012, against the Las Vegas Wranglers. Brandon MacLean scored the championship-winning-goal in overtime during game five. Everblades goaltender, John Muse, was named the most valuable player of the 2012 Kelly Cup playoffs.
Native American mascot controversy
The Florida State Seminoles of Florida State University use names and images associated with the Seminole people but this use is officially sanctioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Tennessee Volunteers football
Smokey is the mascot of the University of Tennessee sports teams, both men's and women's. A Bluetick Coonhound mascot, currently Smokey X, leads the Vols on the field for football games. On game weekends, Smokey is cared for by the members of Alpha Gamma Rho's Alpha Kappa chapter. There is also a costumed mascot that appears at every Vols game, which has won several mascot championships.
University of Oregon
The mascot of the University of Oregon is the fighting duck. The popular Disney character Donald Duck has been the mascot for decades, thanks to a handshake agreement between then-Athletic Director Leo Harris and Walt Disney in 1947. The mascot has been challenged more than a few times in its lifetime. The first came in 1966 when Walt Disney died and the company realized there was no formal contract written for the use of Donald's image. A formal contract was written up in 1973. Potential heirs "Mallard Drake" and "Mandrake" challenged Donald's position in 1978 and 2003 respectively, but both were unpopular and discontinued.
Phillie Phanatic
The Phillie Phanatic is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green bipedal flightless bird with an extendable tongue. According to his official biography, the Phanatic is originally from the Galápagos Islands and is the Phillies' biggest fan. He performs various routines to entertain fans during baseball games at Citizens Bank Park and makes public relation and goodwill appearances for the Phillies. The Phanatic is widely acknowledged as one of the best ballpark mascots, and is arguably the most recognizable mascot in all of North American sports.
Hairy Dawg
The inspiration for Hairy Dawg came during the 1980 football season at the Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic, when Florida unveiled its new, more intimidating mascot. Compared to the rival's mascot, Georgia’s mascot at that time, Fluffie, was described as a "dark, dingy gray mutt with zero personality." Tom Sapp, a 1969 Georgia graduate and designer of the mascot explains, “I created Hairy Dawg to intimidate." Hairy's name derives from the popular Georgia cheer, "Go You Hairy Dogs!" Former University head football coach Vince Dooley was the first to be presented with the sketches for Hairy Dawg and wanted the mascot at the 1981 Sugar Bowl. After many long and stressful hours of sweating and stitching by Sapp, Hairy Dawg was ready in three weeks for the national championship game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. UGA student cheerleader, Stan Beecham, was the first to dress out as Hairy Dawg when the Bulldogs went on to beat the Irish and were crowned national champions.
Lancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Barnstormers' official mascot is an anthropomorphic, red cow named Cylo. He wears the team's home jersey with striped socks and retro-style sneakers. Cylo debuted on March 4, 2005 at the Mascot Roller Mill in the Lancaster County village of Mascot. His name in full is Cyloicious L. Barnstormer, alluding to Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young and to the silo, representing the county's agricultural heritage. The mascot was designed by the Raymond Entertainment Group, which also produces the Phillie Phanatic's costume.
Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Athletics began in 1902 when the then Florida State College football teams played three seasons. The 1905 Buckman Act reorganized the existing seven Florida colleges into three institutions, segregated by race and gender. As a result of this reorganization, the coeducational Florida State College was renamed the Florida State College for Women. The Florida State University became a co-ed institution in 1947 with most of the newly enrolled male students back from service in World War II. The "Seminoles" name, chosen by students in a 1947 vote, alludes to Florida's Seminole people who in the early nineteenth century resisted efforts of the United States government to remove them from Florida. Since 1978 the teams have been represented by the symbols Osceola and Renegade. The symbol represents an actual historical figure, Seminole war leader Osceola, whose clothing represents appropriate period dress. The athletic logo, in use since the early 1970s, shows a profile of a shouting Seminole warrior in circle. The model for the logo was Florida State music faculty member Thomas Wright, composer of the Florida State University Fight Song and Victory Song. The use of names and images associated with Seminole history is officially sanctioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Athletic programs resumed and Florida State fielded its first football team in 43 years with FSU facing Stetson on October 18, 1947.
Eugene McCaslin
McCaslin accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1996 to 1999. As a freshman in 1996, he was a member of the Gators team that defeated the Florida State Seminoles 52–20 in the Sugar Bowl to win the Bowl Alliance national championship. Used mostly as a blocking back, he had two games where he rushed for 100 yards or more during the first three seasons of his college career. Prior to his senior season in 1999, he switched to defense and became a starting linebacker.
California State University, East Bay
The mascot of the university is the Pioneer. At the inception of the athletic program in 1961 the student body chose a spacesuit clad Space Pioneer as the mascot. In the years since the mascot was shortened to the Pioneers and took a more terrestrial image; first as a frontiersman with a coonskin cap and then as a forty-niner who is reminiscent of Yosemite Sam. In the 1980s the student body voted to change the mascot to the Vampires, but the decision was overturned by then-president Ellis McCune. In 2005 there was talk of changing the mascot along with the university's name change. The original plan was to unveil the new mascot by the end of the 2004-2005 academic year. However, there was little student support for a mascot change; a majority of the students and faculty were in favor of keeping the Pioneer as the school mascot while supporting a redesign of the Pioneer image. A final decision on whether or not to keep the Pioneer as the mascot of the university was to be reached before the 2006-2007 academic year but is still an open question in 2010. A new athletics logo was unveiled on November 20, 2009 at a home opener basketball game.
Florida College
Athletic teams participate in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and cross country. Although originally represented by a pelican, the school's current mascot is the Florida College Falcon. The school has a touring Public Relations band called the Friends, which is a reference to Florida College's original motto, "A Friend to Youth." The school currently participates in the Southern States Athletic Conference of the NAIA.
NCAA Football 09
Each of the other four versions of the game features a different athlete on the cover. All are former collegiate players, as the use of an active student athlete is against NCAA regulations.A contest was released June 19 at the Xbox Live Marketplace (Xbox 360) and PlayStation Store (PlayStation 3). The teams are Ohio State Buckeyes and the LSU Tigers
and with 2 minute quarters at varsity level. A mascot game is also available with the Florida Gators versus the Texas Longhorns.
FIU Panthers
FIU's colors are navy blue and gold, and their mascot is the Panther (taken from the Florida panther, an endangered species endemic to the nearby Everglades), which is embodied by a panther named Roary the Panther. The school's original nickname was the "Sunblazers", but it was changed in 1987 to the "Golden Panthers", with the word "Golden" officially dropped beginning with the 2010–11 school year.
Cultural depictions of elephants
University of Alabama's Crimson Tide mascot has been an elephant since 1930 after a sportswriter wrote of a fan yelling "Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!" as the football team rumbled onto the field. Their elephant-costumed "Big Al" officially debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl.
Felix the Cat
Felix is also the oldest high school mascot in the state of Indiana, chosen in 1926 after a Logansport High School player brought his plush Felix to a basketball game. When the team came from behind and won that night, Felix became the mascot of all the Logansport High School sports teams.
Nearly a century after his first debut on screen in 1919, he still makes occasional appearances in pop culture. The pop punk band The Queers also use Felix as a mascot, often drawn to reflect punk sensibilities and attributes such as scowling, smoking, or playing the guitar. Felix adorns the covers of both the "Surf Goddess" EP and the "Move Back Home" album. Felix also appears in the music video for the single "Don't Back Down". Besides appearing on the covers and liner notes of various albums, the iconic cat also appears in merchandise such as T-shirts and buttons. (In an interview with bassist B-Face, he asserts that Lookout! Records is responsible for the use of Felix as a mascot.) Felix has cameos in the 1988 film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and (as a giant puppet) at the 2015 Treefort Music Fest.
Eppes statue
The Eppes Statue is a monument of Francis W. Eppes that is located in Tallahassee, Florida. The bronze sculpture sits in front of the Westcott Building on Florida State University's campus. It was commissioned by FSU president Sandy D'Alemberte to honor one of Florida State University's founders. This monument was created by sculptor Edward Jonas and was unveiled to the public eye on January 24, 2002.
1903 Florida State College football team
The 1903 Florida State College football team represented Florida State College in the sport of American football during the 1903 college football season. The team was led by head coach W.W. Hughes and posted a 3–2–1 record and won the State Championship. With no formal nickname or mascot, the Florida State College football team was known simply as e. g. the "Florida State College Eleven".
Florida State Seminoles football
Florida State's uniforms are considered among the most iconic in the sport of college football. The uniforms pay respect to the Seminole culture using tribal influences with Native American symbols representing an arrow, a man on a horse, and fire. The team's jersey and helmet have remained relatively unchanged throughout the years.
Sammy Bearkat
Sammy Bearkat is the mascot of Sam Houston State University (SHSU), located in Huntsville, Texas. He is a popular attraction at many athletic events such as football, basketball, and volleyball. He also appears for various campus and community functions. Sammy's two-minute routine earned him a national championship of the mascots division at the 2005 United Spirit Association Collegiate National Championship. Sammy was also named the 2010 and 2011 National Cheerleading Association (NCA) Mascot National Champion.
In the 2012 nationals season, Sammy competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team (who made their first appearance ever) at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) collegiate cheer competition. Together they won first place and earned the title of NCA Division I Cheer National Collegiate Champions. In 2013 Sammy also competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team who won their second straight national championship title for NCA. Sammy returned to the Band Shell in Daytona Beach to compete alongside the SHSU All-Girl cheer team who won the NCA All-Girl Division I National Championship Title in 2014. In 2015 Sammy was able to wrap his paws around another NCA Division I title as he competed alongside the Co-Ed Cheer Team. In 2016, Sammy competed alongside the SHSU Division I Co-Ed Cheer Team to win another 1st place NCA National Championship. Sammy was also chosen as the 2016 NCA Mascot National Champion after showcasing a great routine in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sammy has now brought home 1st place in various different flavors in 2005 (USA Mascot Championship), 2010 (NCA Mascot Championship), 2011 (NCA Mascot Championship), 2012 (NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship), 2013 (NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship), 2014 (NCA Division I All-Girl Championship), 2015 (NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship) & 2016 (NCA Mascot Championship & NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship).
Sam Houston Normal Institute’s athletics teams were originally nicknamed the Normals. When the Texas Legislature changed the name of Sam Houston Normal Institute to Sam Houston State Teachers College, the term “Normal” became outdated.
University of Georgia
Uga the Bulldog is the official live mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs. Uga is from a line owned by Frank W. (Sonny) Seiler of Savannah, Georgia since 1956. The current line began with Uga I, a solid white English Bulldog who was the grandson of a former Georgia mascot who made the trip to the 1943 Rose Bowl. Perhaps the most famous Uga was Uga V who made appearances in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Uga V was also featured on the cover of the April 1997 edition of Sports Illustrated. Uga X became the mascot in 2015. Of course, although the University of Georgia is now known as the home of Uga, several mascots including other pure white English bulldogs led the Red and Black before Frank Seiler provided the current lineage.
Rufus the Bobcat
Rufus the Bobcat is the mascot for the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio University revealed the new mascot during a ceremony before the Bobcats' victory over Tennessee-Martin on . At the suggestion of a university alumnus, Michael Massa, Class Of 1982, a University-wide contest to name the bobcat took place in 2006. The unveiling ceremony began with a video of the mascot interacting with the football team and Head Coach Frank Solich culminating with Rufus roaring into Peden Stadium on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In October 2014, coinciding with a space conference being held on campus, Rufus the Bobcat was the first college mascot’s name to venture into deep outer space aboard an unmanned NASA spacecraft, carrying a CD library of names.
Sir Purr
Sir Purr is the mascot of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He is an anthropomorphized panther wearing a Panthers football jersey, No.00.
Ace the Warhawk
Prior to 2006, the University's athletic teams were nicknamed the "Indians," and their mascot was Chief Brave Spirit; an anthropomorphic Native American caricature who performed live at all University athletic events. In 2005, as part of the ongoing NCAA controversy over the use of Native American names and symbols, Louisiana–Monroe was one of 19 colleges and universities throughout the United States who were cited by the NCAA for having "hostile or abusive" team names, mascots, or images. The 19 schools were told that unless they changed their nicknames or got permission from local tribal leaders to use the name, they would be banned from participating in NCAA postseason tournaments. In an attempt to placate the NCAA, the University retired Chief Brave Spirit, and replaced him with a live Native American, dressed in period-appropriate clothing and riding on horseback, in a manner similar to Florida State mascots Osceola and Renegade. However, the NCAA refused to remove Louisiana–Monroe from its list of abusive team nicknames, and on January 30, 2006, the University announced that they would be renaming the school athletic teams, and removing all Native American symbolism and imagery from the campus. Through online voting, the public was asked to suggest and choose a new nickname for the team. A list of twelve semi-finalists was produced that included "Aviators," "Bayou Bruins," "Bayou Gators," "Bayou Raiders," "Marauders," " Thunderbirds," "Bayou Bandits," "Bayou Buccaneers," "Bayou Hawks," "Bayou Storm," "Thunder," and "Warhawks." From this, the list was whittled down to three finalists, "Bayou Gators," "Bayou Hawks," and "Warhawks," before a selection committee chose "Warhawks," as the new team nickname. The name was chosen in honor of Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault, a Waterproof, Louisiana resident. Chennault commanded the American Volunteer Group of pilots during World War II, whose Curtiss P-40 fighter planes were dubbed "Warhawks." On August 30, 2006, the school officially introduced Ace the Warhawk as the new team mascot. In honor of Chennault and Louisiana's contribution to aviation, Ace is always seen wearing a black bomber jacket and flight goggles.
Seminole Tribe of Florida
In the 1980s and 1990s, when mascots based on Native Americans became more controversial and many Native Americans and supporters protested their use, Florida State consulted with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, emphasizing that their use of the names and the Osceola mascot were not intended to be demeaning. Several representatives of the Seminole Tribe, including Chairman James E. Billie and Council Member Max Osceola, have given FSU their blessing to use Osceola and Seminole imagery. However, the matter remains controversial for other Florida Seminoles, as well as members of the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma. In 2005, FSU was among the schools potentially facing NCAA sanctions for using "hostile and abusive" Indian mascots and names; after much deliberation, the NCAA gave FSU an exemption, citing the university's relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida as a major factor. Ironically, in 2016 the Seminole-owned Hard Rock Cafe purchased the naming rights to Sun Life Stadium in suburban Miami, home to one of Florida State's two great rivals, the Miami Hurricanes.
Colorado Buffaloes
The two mascots present at all football games are Ralphie, a live buffalo, and Chip, a costumed mascot who was selected to the 2003 Capital One All-America Mascot Team and won the 2009 and 2010 UCA Mascot National Championships. Ralphie is actually Ralphie V and leads the football team onto the field at the beginning of the first and second halves. A buffalo leading the team onto the field dates as far back as 1934 and the Ralphie tradition began in 1966. In 1934 after the selection of "Buffaloes" as a nickname when a group of students paid $25 to rent a buffalo calf and cowboy as his keeper for the last game of the season. The calf was the son of Killer, a famed bison at Trails End Ranch in Fort Collins, Colorado. It took the cowboy and four students to keep the calf under control on the sidelines during the game, a 7-0 win at the University of Denver on Thanksgiving Day.
Willie Taggart
Willie Taggart (born August 27, 1976) is a former American football player and currently serves as the head college football coach at Florida State University. He previously served as head coach at Western Kentucky from 2009 to 2012, South Florida from 2013 to 2016, and Oregon in 2017. He was the first black head football coach at Western Kentucky, South Florida and Oregon. He became the first permanent black head football coach at Florida State.
Bowling Green State University
BGSU's official mascots are Freddie and Frieda Falcon. Freddie Falcon began appearing at athletic events in 1950, while Frieda first appeared on February 25, 1966, as Mrs. Freddie Falcon. Frieda returned in the 1980–81 academic year as Freddie's little sister. 1980 marked the first official female Frieda after the 1966 version was played by a male cheerleader. Freddie and Frieda routinely make appearances at BGSU athletic events and other major events around campus and the community. In a similar tradition to SICSIC, the identities of the students who play Freddie and Frieda are not revealed until the end of the basketball and hockey seasons.
Pounce (mascot)
Pounce is the official mascot of Georgia State University. Pounce is usually represented as a stylized panther with blue fur, sharp white teeth with protruding canines, and black whiskers. He usually wears either the men's basketball outfit (during basketball season) or the University football uniform. Pounce has existed in his current form since 2009, but has existed in two previous forms. Prior to that, a host of other mascots represented Georgia State University.
Florida State–Virginia football rivalry
The Florida State–Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Florida State Seminoles football team of Florida State University and Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia. The Jefferson–Eppes Trophy is awarded to the winner of the game. The trophy was created in 1995 and was named for former President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, and Francis W. Eppes VII, Jefferson's grandson and two-time mayor of Tallahassee, and president of the Board of Trustees of the West Florida Seminary, now Florida State University.
Freddie Falcon
Frederick "Freddie" Falcon is the official mascot of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. He was Atlanta, Georgia's first mascot and has entertained fans for more than 35 years.
Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Athletics' mascot is Willie the Wildcat. However, the team's first mascot was not Willie, but a live, caged bear cub from the Lincoln Park Zoo named Furpaw. In fall 1923, Furpaw was driven to the playing field to greet the fans before each game. After a losing season, the team decided that Furpaw was the harbinger of bad luck and banished him from campus. Willie made his debut ten years later in 1933 as a logo, but did not actually come to life until 1947, when members of the Alpha Delta fraternity dressed up as him during the Homecoming parade. The Northwestern University Marching Band (NUMB) performs at all home football and lead cheers in the student section and the alma mater at the end of the game.
Seminole Tribe of Florida
Florida State University in Tallahassee uses the Seminole name and imagery for its athletics programs, the Florida State Seminoles. The name was adopted in 1947 after a fan vote; reportedly the new college football team preferred it so much that they stuffed the ballot box in its favor. Since 1978, a student portraying Osceola has been the official mascot at football games; previously more cartoonish Indian-themed mascots were used.
Portland State University
Portland State's colors are green and white, and its mascot is the Viking personified as "Victor E. Viking". Among the two more notable former Portland State athletes are Freeman Williams and Neil Lomax. Williams was the NCAA Division I national men's basketball individual scoring leader in 1977 and 1978. Lomax was a record-setting quarterback who went on to star for the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL in the mid-1980s. Football's "Run & Shoot" offense was first implemented at the college level at PSU by coach Darryl "Mouse" Davis. An assistant coach at Portland State, Davis took over as head coach in 1975 following the departure of Ron Stratten. Behind his revolutionary new "Run-and-Shoot" offense (developed in the late 1960s at Hillsboro (OR)HS) and a strong-armed quarterback named June Jones, Davis led the Viking program to new heights— an 8-3 record, including a perfect 5-0 home mark. Davis' quarterback protégés were Lomax and Jones.
Mascot
In the world of sports, mascots are also used for merchandising. Team mascots are often related to their respective team nicknames. This is especially true when the team's nickname is something that is a living animal and/or can be made to have humanlike characteristics. For more abstract nicknames, the team may opt to have an unrelated character serve as the mascot. For example, the athletic teams of the University of Alabama are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, while their mascot is an elephant named Big Al. Team mascots may take the form of a logo, person, live animal, inanimate object, or a costumed character, and often appear at team matches and other related events, sports mascots are often used as marketing tools for their teams to children. Since the mid-20th century, costumed characters have provided teams with an opportunity to choose a fantasy creature as their mascot, as is the case with the Philadelphia Phillies' mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, and the Philadelphia Flyers' mascot, Gritty.
T. D. (mascot)
T.D. (for The Dolphin) is the official mascot of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins' official website jokingly states that T.D. was signed on April 18, 1997 by former head coach Jimmy Johnson. The Dolphins conducted a "Name the Mascot" contest that drew over 13,000 entries, covering all 50 states and 22 countries. 528 names were suggested and the winning entry was announced at the annual Dolphins Awards Banquet on June 4, 1997. T.D. first appeared at a Dolphins home game on August 10, 1997 against the Chicago Bears; his first Dolphins home playoff appearance was January 2, 1999 in a win against the Buffalo Bills. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and was the first NFL mascot to participate in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio in 2001. He was invited to Hong Kong to participate in the 2005 Chinese New Year's Day Parade, and recently on May 2, 2015, T.D. was invited to participate at 2015 NFL Draft Town in Chicago, Illinois.
Pounce (mascot)
Georgia State University has had multiple names and mascots (under its various names), beginning with an Owl in 1940 when the school was Georgia Evening College (due to it being a night school). In 1947, the school would, for no apparent reason, change the athletics teams' names to the Ramblers. This would again change in 1955 to the Panthers, however at that time no mascot existed for the school. Claws the Panther, the first personified blue panther, was created in the early 1980s to support the GSU basketball team. Both the school's student newspaper, the Signal, and the yearbook, The Cauldron, identified the mascot as being played by Jay Black who would later become a professor at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. In 1989, Urbie, a crimson panther was created, but would only remain until 1993 when a new mascot, Pounce, was unveiled. The original Pounce was a cartoonish, muscular blue panther with yellow eyes, a red nose and four fingers on each hand with yellow claws on each. This remained the university's mascot with slight variations (including more ferocious facial gestures) up until 2009. As the university unveiled its new football team, it also unveiled a new Pounce, complete with a sleeker design. This is the current mascot in use.
Florida State–Miami football rivalry
In one of the season's biggest shockers, FSU stunned Miami 24–0, in the season opener for both squads. Miami quarterback, George Mira, had been the cover boy for Sports Illustrated's 1963 college football preseason preview. Miami head coach Andy Gustafson, who had been named athletic director in the spring, put off retirement for a year to coach what most pro scouts believed was the best quarterback in all of college football. On this night, however, Steve Tensi and Fred Biletnikoff were the stars and Florida State made its first real appearance on the national stage. This win marked the first of seven straight wins by the Seminoles and the longest winning streak in the series. All of the Seminoles wins came on Miami's home turf, the Orange Bowl.
1999 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the college football season of 1999. Winning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship and winning the 2000 Sugar Bowl BCS National Championship game, the team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium. The team entered the season with high expectations after losing to Tennessee in the inaugural BCS Championship game. FSU entered the 1999 pre-season ranked No. 1 in all national pre-season polls, picked unanimously to win the ACC and expected to contend for a national championship. The Seminoles finished 11-2 in 1998, extending their NCAA record to 13 straight seasons with at least 10 victories and ranked among the nation's top four teams.
American alligator
"Gators" has been the nickname of the University of Florida's sports teams since 1911. In that year, a printer made a spur-of-the-moment decision to print an alligator emblem on a shipment of the school's football pennants. The mascot stuck, perhaps because the team captain's nickname was Gator.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A name-the-team contest resulted in the nickname "Buccaneers", a reference to José Gaspar, the mythical Florida pirate who is the inspiration for Tampa's Gasparilla Pirate Festival. The team name was opposed by St. Petersburg businessmen on the grounds that it emphasized Tampa at the expense of other Bay Area cities, until NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle himself met with them to encourage their support. Their uniforms and "Bucco Bruce" winking pirate logo were designed by "Tampa Tribune" artist Lamar Sparkman using colors drawn from the state's four major college teams at the time: orange from the universities of Miami and Florida, and red from Florida State and the University of Tampa. They were one of the few teams to wear white home uniforms, forcing opponents to wear their warmer dark uniforms in Tampa's afternoon heat. The team's first home was Tampa Stadium, which had been built in 1967 to attract an NFL franchise and was expanded in 1974 to seat just over 72,500 fans.
Jaxson de Ville
Jaxson de Ville is the mascot of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a National Football League football franchise. His name is spelled "Jaxson" because Jacksonville, Florida, is often shortened to "Jax." He is an anthropomorphic jaguar and is yellow with teal patches. He wears sunglasses, a Jaguars jersey, long shorts, and black and teal sneakers. The back of his jersey is typical: it reads "Jaxson" with his number, 00, but the front has a paw print. On certain occasions he wears other outfits, such as a large military field uniform when he was brought onto the field in a military jeep. Jaxson finds other creative ways to enter the stadium: using a zip wire to bungee jump off the stadium lights or sliding down a rope from the scoreboard. He is rarely seen without his motorized scooter and can sometimes be seen driving a golf cart.
University of Central Florida
Millican selected the university's official colors, and had a role in selecting its first mascot, the Citronaut, a mix of an orange and an astronaut. The Citronaut proved unpopular, so in 1969 the student newspaper, "The Central Florida Future", encouraged mascot suggestions from students and faculty. The search for a replacement proved unsuccessful until 1970, when Judy Hines, a night nurse, proposed Vincent the Vulture. He served as the university's unofficial mascot for more than a year. In late 1971, students voted and selected the Knight of Pegasus as the school's official athletic mascot. After retiring as president in 1978, Millican identified his proudest moment leading the school as when President Richard Nixon delivered the university's spring 1973 commencement address.
Louie the Laker
Louie the Laker is the mascot of Grand Valley State University, located in Allendale, Michigan. The costume of Louie consists of a large cartoonish face with an oversized jaw, a scowl, a blue and white striped shirt, blue pants, a blue captain's hat, and large black boots. He is seen at all football games as well as randomly around campus during events. According to short videos shown at Laker football games, Louie the Laker sleeps on the 50 yard line and dreams of Laker football.
Westcott Building
Westcott fountain is a historic landmark on the campus of Florida State University. It sits at the end of College Avenue in front of the Westcott building. There is a large, marble plaque in front of the fountain with the Florida State University logo, used to welcome people to campus. Westcott fountain came into the possession of Florida State University in 1917 as a gift from the Florida State College for Women, classes of 1915 and 1917. Today, the fountain is a strong symbol of unity and heritage for Florida State University.
Central Florida Future
When the University first opened, students had no choice for the mascot. The Citronaut was the unofficial mascot for FTU's first year, appearing on only official publications, like the cover of the 1968–69 student handbook. After a year, students petitioned the student government for a new mascot. In response, "The Future" published what its staffers felt were important criteria for a new mascot: an animal that flew, as the school motto is "Reach for the Stars", it should also be virtuous, include the school colors of black and gold, and it should be something unique because "FTU stressed the importance of individuality." Shortly thereafter a student health center nurse, Judy Hines, followed the criteria and came up with Vincent the Vulture. This mascot stuck for a year before the school administration and students decided on a new official mascot, "Knights of the Pegasus."
Florida Gators football
Steve Spurrier restored the home blue jerseys when he became the Gators' head ball coach in 1990. From 1990 until 2014, Florida's primary home uniforms were blue jerseys with white pants, with blue pants an option for high-profile games, especially at night. Former coach Jim McElwain usually allowed his senior players to decide which uniform combination the team wore for each game. Since this practice began during the 2015 season, the Gators have worn many different combinations of blue or orange jerseys along with blue, orange, or white pants.
Florida State Seminoles football
On January 5, 2010, Jimbo Fisher officially became the ninth head football coach in Florida State history. Fisher had been a member of the Florida State staff for three years, serving as offensive coordinator. He was named head coach-in waiting during the 2008 season. Fisher's ascension helped lead Florida State to a top-10 recruiting class in 2010 and the #1 and #2 recruiting class in the country, according to ESPN and Rivals. In his first season as head coach, Florida State went 10–4 with a 6–2 record in ACC conference play. The Seminoles went to their first ACC Championship Game since 2005, losing to Virginia Tech 44–33, and had their first ten win season since 2003. Fisher's first Florida State team notably beat both of its in-state rivals, the Miami Hurricanes 45–17 and the Florida Gators 31–7, for the first time since 1999. Florida State would go on to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where they would beat Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team, 26–17. In his second season, Florida State went 9–4 with a 5–3 record in ACC conference play. For the second year in a row, the Seminoles defeated both of their in-state rivals. Fisher's second Florida State team also defeated Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl. Fisher brought in another top-ranked recruiting class in 2012. In his third season, he led the Seminoles to their first conference title in seven years and defeated Northern Illinois to win the Orange Bowl. In the 2013 season, Jimbo Fisher guided his team to a perfect 14–0 record and a national championship with a comeback win against Auburn. In Fisher's fifth season with the Seminoles, he guided Florida State to another undefeated regular season and a playoff berth. Florida State had victories over both in-state rivals, Florida and Miami, in six of Jimbo Fisher's first seven seasons as head coach and won ten or more games in six of his eight seasons.
Jack Forsythe
James Adger "Jack" Forsythe, Jr. (August 4, 1882 – April 3, 1957), nicknamed "Pee Wee" Forsythe, was an American college football player and coach. Forsythe has an important place in the history of college athletics in the U.S. state of Florida as the first head coach of the team now known as the University of Florida Gators. He had previously been the last football coach at Florida State College, now Florida State University, before it was reorganized as a school for women.
Florida State Seminoles
Following World War II, Florida State College for Women became coeducational and was renamed Florida State University in 1947, and the school once again started a football team. After its first season, FSU joined the Dixie Conference, which it won in each of the three years it was a member. It withdrew from the conference in 1951 and competed as an independent team for the next forty years.
Under head coach Bobby Bowden, the football team became one of the nation's most competitive football teams, greatly expanding the tradition of football at Florida State. The Seminoles played in five national championship games between 1993 and 2001, and have claimed the championship three times, in 1993, 1999, and 2013. The FSU football team was the most successful team in college football during the 1990s, boasting an 89% winning percentage. FSU also set an NCAA record for most consecutive Top 5 finishes in the AP football poll – receiving placement fourteen years in a row, from 1987 to 2000. The Seminoles were the first college football team in history to go wire-to-wire (ranked first place from preseason to postseason) since the AP began releasing preseason rankings in 1936. FSU also owns the record for most consecutive bowl game victories with 11 between 1985 and 1996 and made a post-season appearance for thirty-six straight seasons from 1982-2017. The Seminole football team has also won eighteen conference championships in the Dixie and Atlantic Coast.
Pittsburg State Gorillas
The official mascot of Pitt State Athletic teams is Gus the Gorilla, designed in by L. Michael Hailey in 1985. Pitt State is the only college in the nation with the Gorilla as its official mascot for its men's and women's teams.
The Masked Rider
The Masked Rider is the primary mascot of Texas Tech University. It is the oldest of the university's mascots still in existence today. Originally called "Ghost Rider", it was an unofficial mascot appearing in a few games in 1936 and then became the official mascot with the 1954 Gator Bowl. The Masked Rider has led the team onto the field at nearly every football game since. It is the nation's first school mascot to feature a live horse at a football game, ahead of Florida State's Chief Osceola and Renegade and 25 years before USC's Traveler and all other such mascots in existence today.
UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs
UCSC's mascot is the banana slug (specifically, "Ariolimax dolichophallus").
In 1974 the UCSC club soccer team chose the mascot the "Banana Slugs". UCSC had no formal team sports at the time, therefore they had no mascot. Three team members, Larry DeGhetaldi, Fred Bicknell, Sven Steinmo and their roommate, Richard Hedges, chose to name the team the Banana Slugs before an All Cal tournament. They felt that UCSC should have a mascot too. The team's unusual name was noted by the San Jose Mercury News after the team suffered a humiliating defeat against the San Jose State Spartans. Several years later, when the club basketball team became more formalized (with a coach and expanded schedule), the athletic director at the time, Terry Warner, informed the team that they needed to have a mascot and that it had been chosen to be the Sea Lions. The team summarily rejected that name, claiming to not need any mascot. As such, their uniforms simply said "UCSC" on them. In 1981, when the university began more formally participating in NCAA intercollegiate sports, the then-chancellor and some student athletes declared the mascot to be the sea lions. Most students disliked the new mascot and offered an alternative mascot, the banana slug. In 1986, students voted via referendum to declare the banana slug the official mascot of UCSC – a vote the chancellor refused to honor, arguing that only athletes should choose the mascot. When a poll of athletes showed that they, too, wanted to be Slugs, the chancellor relented.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The University Mascot is derived from a nickname for the state of Minnesota, "The Gopher State." The original design was based on the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. The state nickname derives from a political cartoon by R. O. Sweeny, published as a broadside in 1858. The cartoon depicted state legislators as gophers dragging the state in the wrong direction. The nickname was associated with the university as early as the publication of the first yearbook in 1888, which was titled "The Gopher". Other early yearbooks included depictions of gophers as well, and the University of Minnesota football coach Clarence Spears officially named the football team the Gophers in 1926. After the radio announcer Halsey Hall began referring to the team as the Golden Gophers due to the color of their uniforms, the team was renamed under coach Bernie Bierman.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Over the years, Southern Miss has experienced an evolution of nicknames from Normalites to Tigers to Yellow Jackets to Confederates to Southerners. In 1972, alumni, faculty, students and staff were asked to submit new names for the athletic teams, and an ad hoc committee appointed by the Alumni Association voted on the submissions. The present mascot, the Golden Eagles, was chosen as the athletic teams’ name, and the new mascot was eventually named Seymour, an individual in a golden eagle costume. Seymour's full name is Seymour d'Campus (a pun on "see more [of] the campus"). The name was inspired by the 1984 World's Fair mascot, Seymour d'Fair (a pun on "see more [of] the Fair"), who was played by former Southern Miss mascot Jeff Davis ’83.
Delta State University
Delta State has two mascots (one official, one unofficial). Since its inception, Delta State's sports teams have officially been known as the Statesmen because of the role State Rep. Walter Sillers, Jr. played in the location of the school in Cleveland. Sillers was speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives for 20 years. The female teams are called the Lady Statesmen.
Louisiana State University
LSU Athletics is represented by its mascot, a live Bengal tiger named Mike the Tiger. LSU is only one of two institutions of higher education in the United States to have a live tiger as their mascot; the other is the University of Memphis. The tiger was named after Mike Chambers, LSU's athletic trainer in 1936, and was bought for $750 from the Little Rock Arkansas Zoo. Mike V reigned from 1990–2007 and remained housed in his on-campus habitat until his death due to kidney failure on May 18, 2007 at age 17. Mike VI was an 11-year-old, tiger acquired from an Indiana big cat sanctuary. Previously known as Roscoe, "Mike VI" is a Bengal-Siberian mix and was officially named Mike on September 8, 2007. He was introduced to fans at the home game against Florida on October 6, 2007. In 2017, LSU officially introduced Mike VII, formerly named "Harvey".
Curtis Dvorak
Curtis John Dvorak (born July 16, 1974) was primarily known as Jaxson de Ville, official mascot of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL football team. He was the first person to portray the Jaguars mascot in the team's history and had the title, Vice President of Mascot Relations. Curtis retired from serving as Jaxson de Ville on June 23, 2015.
Florida State Seminoles football
Under head coach Bobby Bowden, who came to Florida State from West Virginia, the Seminoles became one of the nation's most competitive programs, greatly expanding the tradition of football at Florida State. The Seminoles played in five national championship games between 1993 and 2000, and claimed the championship twice, in 1993 and 1999. The FSU football team was the most successful team in college football during the 1990s, boasting an 89% winning percentage. FSU also set an NCAA record for most consecutive Top 5 finishes in the AP football poll – receiving placement 14 years in a row, from 1987 to 2000. The Seminoles under Bowden were the first college football team in history to go wire-to-wire (ranked first place from preseason to postseason) since the AP began releasing preseason rankings in 1936. On December 1, 2009 Bowden announced that he would retire from coaching after the Seminoles' game on New Year's Day 2010 against West Virginia, Bowden's former team, in the Gator Bowl. His legacy has led to the creation of two awards in his honor, the Bobby Bowden Award, an award presented to college football players, and the Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, an award presented to college football coaches.
Rocky the Bull
Rocky the Bull (sometimes written like a full name, complete with middle initial, Rocky D. Bull) is the mascot of the University of South Florida's USF Bulls athletics. He is an anthropomorphized bull who can typically be seen dressed in USF athletic gear--usually a football or basketball jersey, but occasionally other attire like a USF T-shirt.
Sebastian the Ibis
Sebastian the Ibis is the official mascot for the University of Miami. He is an anthropomorphized American white ibis with a Miami Hurricanes football jersey, number 0. Sebastian is the first and only Hispanic-American college mascot and identifies as Cuban.
List of NHL mascots
Stanley C. Panther and Viktor E Rat are the two mascots of the Florida Panthers. Stanley C. Panther was named in 1995 by Darrel Ambrosini and is an anthropomorphic Florida Panther, hence the name of the team. He is named for the Stanley Cup. Viktor E. Rat was named in October 2014 in honor of the club's 1996 Stanley Cup Final run where rats were tossed on ice and is an anthropomorphic rat. At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, the Panthers added another mascot that is half the size of Stanley, hence the name "Mini Stanley". Due to Mini Stanley's smaller size, he is a mascot that caters more to children.
Cocky (mascot)
Tommy Donavan portrayed Cocky beginning in 1992, and later became the Carolina Panthers mascot, Sir Purr. Routh and Donovan appeared together in 1991 at the Japan Bowl in Tokyo, an all-star football game...Donovan as Cocky, and Routh as The Miami Maniac, the mascot of University of Miami baseball. Jamie Ballentine is one of the longest-serving student Cocky at four years from 2002-2006, during which he won Capitol One's Mascot Bowl. Cocky is a beloved fan favorite, chosen by many young fans as who they dress up as on Halloween.
Florida Mayhem
The Mayhem's branding was officially unveiled on November 2, 2017. The team's logo features the letter M inscribed in a bomb (representing competitive impact) with a palm tree-shaped fuse (representing Florida). The team colors are red, to pay homage to the original Misfits team; yellow, to represent Florida, the "Sunshine State;" and black, tying in with the Miami Heat.
Bully (mascot)
Bully VI was represented by two dogs. Mississippi State Athletics purchased one of the dogs ("Bully VI-A") from Sid Parker of West Point in September 1947 to serve as the mascot for the varsity football team. Similarly to Bully IV, he was named "Big Dog on Campus," but was affectionately known as "BDOC" for short. He was the first Mississippi State bulldog mascot to be "dog-napped"; prior to their game in October 1951, University of Georgia students dognapped Bully, but Mississippi State would persevere and win the football game 6-0. Photos from the "Reveille" yearbook show this Bully pulling on his leash, lunging toward opponent mascots including LSU's Mike the Tiger, the Baylor bear, and Alabama's live elephant Alamite. The other dog representing Bully VI ("Bully VI-B") was bought from Oklahoma City Kennels and given to the school as a gift in November 1947. This Bully served as the freshman team's mascot until BDOC's death in 1951, at which point Bully VI-B took over mascot duties for both the freshman and varsity teams through May 1952. The overall record for Bully VI (for both dogs) was a combined 19-25-2 (.431).
Choctawhatchee High School
At the beginning of each home football game, the school Indian, or student mascot, rides a horse across the field and throws a spear midfield. Although many think that the idea was borrowed from Florida State University, in fact it is opposite that, as accounted for by the former football coach and athletic director, Wyman Townsel. Ann Bowden, wife of Florida State University football coach, Bobby Bowden, attended a Choctaw football game in the 1970s, saw the horse run, and told her husband that it would be a good idea for FSU.
Louisiana State University traditions
Mike the Tiger is the official mascot of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and serves as the graphic image of LSU athletics. Mike is the name of both the live and costumed mascots. He is named after Mike Chambers who served as LSU's athletic trainer when the first mascot was purchased in 1936.In 2005, a new $3 million habitat was created for Mike. The Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) raised funds, entirely from private sources, to subsidize the construction project. The habitat (situated between Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center) features state-of-the-art technologies and includes among its amenities lush plantings, a waterfall, a flowing stream that empties into a wading pond, and rocky plateaus. The new habitat ranks among the largest and finest Tiger preserves in the country and expanded Mike's home from 2,000 to . It also features research, conservation, and husbandry programs, as well as educational, interpretive, and recreational activities. Mike's new home can be viewed via the live Tigercam.
Rohn Stark
From the official Florida State Seminoles website: "One of the greatest all-around athletes ever to wear the garnet and gold of Florida State, Stark starred as a punter and decathlete for the Seminoles. After his four-year career as FSU's punter was over, Stark had virtually every record including most career punts, highest season average (46.0) and highest career average (42.7). He earned first team All-America honors in 1980 and 1981 and was a team captain as a senior." At the end of his college football career, Stark was probably the best college punter since Ray Guy played for Southern Mississippi in the early '70s. "The spring of his senior year, he cemented his spot as one of FSU's all-time greats, winning All-America honors as a decathlete as well. In 1986, he was inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame, in Football and Track/Field." He seriously considered participation in the 1984 Olympics.
Timeout (mascot)
Fresno State adopted the Bulldog mascot in 1921, ten years after its founding as the Fresno Normal School. That year, which was also the first year of Football for the school, student body president Warren Moody and friends were continually greeted outside the main campus building by a white bulldog. The live dog was adopted by the student body and brought to football games as the mascot.
Army Black Knights football
Mascot
Pounce (mascot)
Like many mascots, Pounce communicates via hand gestures and sign language, rather than speech. Pounce is often used in different community projects either sponsored by or held by the University. While Pounce is considered a Panther, a specific definition of which species he is not elaborated on, although he shows considerable likeness to the Florida Panther, which was once native to Georgia. Pounce is 6'0 with a 3 foot tail and favors the colors royal blue and white.
Hairy Dawg
Hairy Dawg is the costumed mascot of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Hairy Dawg made his first appearance at the 1981 Sugar Bowl and has been an official mascot of UGA since. Hairy Dawg attends all Georgia Bulldogs football games and most home athletic events (including Georgia Bulldogs basketball, Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball, Georgia Bulldogs baseball, Georgia Gym Dogs, tennis, volleyball, equestrian, and soccer). Forbes ranks Hairy Dawg No. 3 in their list of "America's Top 10 Sports Mascots".