Do You Know The History Behind These 10 SEC Mascots?

It’s a big weekend for college football fans! While each conference has its share of traditions, history, and drama, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has had one heck of a season. Among many things, the SEC is notorious for its legendary mascots steeped in history harking back to everything from centuries-old rivalries to war heroes and beyond.

In the spirit of football season, we’ve ranked the SEC mascots that intrigue us with their history and rile us with their spirit.

10. The University of Kentucky Wildcats

A classic mascot through and through, the wildcat has served as the face of many high schools and colleges across the country. However, the origin of University of Kentucky Wildcat mascot is quite a unique coincidence. According to the University of Kentucky’s website, the wildcat became synonymous with the university’s athletes in 1909, after the Kentucky football team pulled a historic win over the University of Illinois.

Commandant Philip W. Corbusier, then the head of the military department at old State University, reportedly raved to a group of students that the Kentucky football team had “fought like wildcats.” The name stuck, becoming a popular sentiment among members of the media as well as students at the university. In 1976, after serving as the school’s symbol for several decades, the University of Kentucky Wildcats’ costumed mascot made his way onto the field to rile up the fans.

9. The University of South Carolina Gamecocks

Those unfamiliar with the University of South Carolina might be wondering what is a gamecock? While a gamecock refers to a rooster that has been bred specifically for cock fights, the University of South Carolina Gamecock is a nod to an old war hero. According to the university, “The Fighting Gamecock” was a nickname given to General Thomas Sumter during the American Revolutionary War for his military tactics and love of cockfighting.

In the late 1800s, many locals began colloquially referring to the University of South Carolina as “The Fighting Gamecocks” due to the school’s love for the old general. In 1902, the South Carolina football team officially adopted the name following a win over rival team Clemson. The school’s costumed mascot, Cocky, debuted in 1980 and has since won several national mascot championships, even earning a spot on Sports Illustrated’s list of greatest college mascots in football history in 2019.

8. The University of Florida Gators

This one’s a no-brainer. When you think Florida, you think alligators. Strangely enough, the story of Florida’s Albert the Alligator mascot starts not in Florida but in Charlottesville, Virginia, when Phillips Miller traveled from Gainesville, Florida, to Virginia to visit his son Austin Miller at law school in 1908. While in Virginia, Miller turned to the Michie Company in need of some college pennants and banners to sell in his Gainesville store. Noticing that the Michie Company did not have any merchandise for the newly founded University of Florida because the university did not have a symbol yet, Miller and his son set out designing an alligator mascot to honor the school’s Florida home.

Miller chose the alligator to be the school’s new mascot because the species was native to Florida and would serve as a powerful symbol of Florida pride. A few weeks later, Phillip Miller returned to Gainesville with pennants and banners displaying the iconic Albert the Alligator, who serves as the school’s mascot to this day.

7. Texas A&M University’s Reveille

Few crowds go quite as wild as the Texas A&M Aggies when the regal Rough Collie makes her way onto the field. Reveille, A&M’s mascot, first set foot on campus in 1931 after being hit by a car driven by a group of A&M students. According to the university’s website, the students brought the dog back to campus and nursed her back to health, taking care to hide her due to the university’s no-pet policy. The dog was reportedly discovered after she decided to bark wildly in response to a bugler playing “Reveille.” Instead of forcing the dog off campus, the student body embraced her, making her the official mascot the following football season.

Reveille I died in 1944 after 13 years as the school’s mascot. Reveille II, a Shetland Sheepdog donated by a Texas A&M alumnus, succeeded the first Reveille. Reveille III was the first purebred Rough Collie, beginning the university’s tradition of purebred Rough Collie mascots. Reveille is the highest ranking member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and receives top-tier treatment across campus.

6. The University of Arkansas Razorbacks

Similar to the University of Kentucky, the University of Arkansas derived its mascot name from a quote — this time from Arkansas coach and College Football Hall of Famer Hugo Bezdek. Originally adopting the cardinal for the school’s mascot, the university changed its tune after the Arkansas football team pulled off an impressive 7 – 0 season in 1909. Bezdek, who coached the team at the time, was quoted as saying that the Arkansas team played “like a wild band of razorback hogs.”

The likening of the team to the feral animal stuck like glue, and the Razorback became the university’s official mascot that next year. The “calling of the hogs” — an Arkansas tradition meant to encourage the football team during games — was added in the 1920s, cementing Arkansas as the Razorbacks for good. The university’s live mascot, Tusk, is a Russian boar, which mostly closely resembles the wild razorbacks native to Arkansas.

5. The Louisiana State University Fighting Tigers

When it comes to ferocity, you don’t get much better than the tiger. While multiple teams within the SEC call the tiger their mascot, the Louisiana State University (LSU) Fighting Tigers have become a formidable presence within the conference. The school first used the tiger symbol in 1896, deriving it from Civil War legends. According to LSU Press’ 1989 “Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861 – 1865,” the Louisiana Tigers evolved from a volunteer company nicknamed the Tiger Rifles, who fought with the battalion commanded by Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat and were known for wearing the colorful Zouave uniform. Major David French Boyd, who would later become the first president of LSU, fought with the Louisiana troops and remembered their passion and prowess, bestowing the tiger symbol upon the LSU football team in their honor.

Mike the Tiger now wows fans in the stands and intimidates opponents with his fierce roar. Until 2016, Mike’s cage was situated on the field in such a position that the visiting team would have to pass by him on their way to their locker room, forced to lock eyes with the powerful creature.

4. The University of Tennessee Volunteers

While many outsiders might respond to this university’s mascot with a scratch of the head, the Tennessee Volunteer mascot harks back to the state’s reputation for coming to the country’s aid in times of peril. Tennessee was dubbed the Volunteer State in 1812, after an unprecedented amount of Tennessee men volunteered to go into battle against British troops during the American Revolutionary War’s Battle of New Orleans. Tennessee once again proved the nickname correct in 1848, when it was reported that 30,000 Tennesseans answered the call for 2,600 volunteers during the Mexican American War.

The University of Tennessee adopted the state name as its symbol in 1905. In 1953, a Bluetick Coonhound named Smokey was chosen to become the school’s gameday mascot. Smokey XI now presides over the university, making appearances on the sidelines along with a costumed mascot of the same name. The costumed Volunteer mascot has become a crowd favorite as well, becoming an inductee of the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008.

3. Oklahoma University’s Sooner Schooner

Few colleges have a mascot so elaborate as the Sooner Schooner — a horse-drawn covered wagon that bursts onto the field after each score made by Oklahoma University’s football team. With origins dating back to the original colonization of the United States, the Sooner Schooner is a scaled-down replica of the Studebaker Conestoga wagon used by settlers of the Oklahoma Territory to pull themselves toward a new future during the Land Run of 1889. The Sooner Schooner is pulled by two white ponies named Boomer and Sooner, also reminiscent of the territory’s settlement — settlers who snuck into the Oklahoma Territory before it was officially opened for settlement were often referred to as “Sooners.”

The Sooner Schooner first rolled up to the field during a 1964 football game against the University of Southern California. While the game ended with an Oklahoma loss, it solidified the Schooner as the official symbol of the university. The Schooner is maintained and driven by members of the RUF/NEKS, the school’s all-male spirit organization, and the RUF/NEK Lil’ Sis, the university’s all-female spirit organization. The Schooner is accompanied by costumed mascot ponies, also named Boomer and Sooner.

2. The University of Georgia Bulldogs

You’ll be hard pressed to find a college football fan who doesn’t recognize Uga, the beloved pure white English bulldog who lumbers onto the field to the cheer of adoring fans during each University of Georgia football game. While the current lineage of purebred English bulldogs that have served as Uga began in 1956, the Bulldog became the unofficial Georgia mascot in 1894 with the introduction of Trilby, a white female bull terrier owned by a student. Trilby roamed the Georgia campus and accompanied the football players to practice. One afternoon, Trilby trotted onto the field followed by 13 newborn puppies. Trilby and her babies served up team spirit for year. Their eventual passing marked an era of chaos within the Georgia mascot department until the university acquired another Bulldog in 1944.

In 2019, Sports Illustrated named Uga the Greatest Mascot in College Football History for his instant recognizability and winning smile. Uga X is the latest in the Uga line to serve as mascot, donning a custom-made jersey and signature spiked collar as he encourages fans from the sidelines.

1. The University of Texas Longhorns

Okay, we may be a little biased on this one. We love some good Texas representation. Hated by some, loved by others, the Longhorn is undeniably one of the most recognized symbols in college football. After nixing its original mascot — an Americana Pit Bull Terrier named Pig — the University of Texas adopted the longhorn as its mascot to represent the rich ranching history of Texas. In 1916, UT alumnus Stephen Pinckney purchased a steer in the Texas Panhandle to serve as the college’s live mascot, beginning the tradition of the live longhorn mascot. While rivals of the University of Texas believe the now-debunked rumor that the mascot’s name, Bevo, was established when Texas A&M hooligans broke into the longhorn’s enclosure in 1917 and branded the animal with “13 – 0,” Bevo’s name actually originated from the editor of the alumni magazine, who dubbed the first longhorn Bevo for reasons that vary depending on the source.

Bevo XV now resides on a private ranch in Liberty Hill, Texas, owned by Texas ranchers Betty and John Baker. The Bakers’ Sunrise Ranch is responsible for decades of Bevos, raising the famed longhorns alongside their other cattle, upholding centuries of ranching traditions.

SPECIAL TRIBUTE

C&I sends love and light to ESPN host Kirk Herbstreit, whose beloved gameday-crashing dog Ben passed away earlier this month. Ben brought cheer to professional football fans for years with his appearances, garnering titles such as “chief happiness officer of football” for his endless positivity.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of universities