One of the biggest parts about college is college sports. People go nuts over their teams and office wagers are won and lost every week based on team performances. While there are a lot of great rivalries and moments, one of the most iconic parts of college athletics is the college mascot. People love them and are fiercely loyal to them. Here are some of the more famous ones.
Brutus Buckeye
Some college mascots you just don’t know what to think off and Brutus Buckeye is one of them. Brutus is the famous mascot of the Ohio State University and he has a big round hear the looks like a Little Debbie Ding Dong or something and at first glance you could file under things that make you say “huh?” There is a story to him however. The Buckeye is a tree that grows in Ohio. The early pioneers were a pretty tough lot that soon became known as the “Buckeyes.” Brutus is said to resemble the nut from a Buckeye tree. Said being the optimal word but it makes for a fun story none-the-less.
Big Al
Heading to the deep South gives us Alabama and the Crimson Tide, and often at their games you will hear chants of “Roll Tide, Roll.” So what mascot would you ever think we could along with the idea of a red tide? How about an elephant? Makes as much sense as anything else? There is a story to it and it goes like this.
Back in the 1930’s a sports reporter covering an Alabama game claims he heard a fan yell, “hold your horses, the elephants are coming” as the Alabama team ran out of the tunnel. The idea of them being associated with the elephant took root and in the 1960’s one Melford Espey Jr. yes you read that right, Melford Espy Jr. decided to wear an elephant costume to a game. Later in his life young Melford became a school administrator and was asked to help think of a school mascot. Pulling from his experience he suggested an elephant. They put it to a school vote and the name Big Al was decided and a legend was born.
Bevo
The University of Texas has a pretty unique story as well. Sure since they are the Longhorns it makes sense to use a longhorn, but did you know his name is Bevo? There is a legend about how he got his name. He was originally named Bo but in 1916 UT was beat by their arch rival, Texas A&M, a famous military university, by a score of 13-0. The story goes on to claim that four A&M students kidnapped Bo and branded 13-0 on the poor longhorn. When UT retrieved Bo they saw the branding and decided to turn the 13 into a “B” and added the “e” and “v” in between the 13 and O, thus forming Bevo. This story has never been proven but it is better than the other theory that suggests it came from the word “beeve,” which meant cattle that were headed to the meat markets.
So there you have it. Sure there are plenty more iconic or unusual mascots. Try the fighting banana slugs of UC Santa Cruz or the asparagus of Arizona. Still these are three of the more unique and famous ones.
About the Author
Jeff Jorden lives and writes in Southern California. He writes about life, education and automobiles. Online university coursesare a good way to better your future.
