Top 5 Bad (Worst) College Mascots

Monday, November 14, 2011

5. Scotty the Scottie Dog

Carnegie Mellon University definitely has an interesting theme, which then led to an interesting mascot for their college. The university is highly centered around a Scottish motif, due to the fact that Andrew Carnegie was Scottish. As silly as it seems, the university’s mascot is a Scottie Dog named Scotty. At times they have a live black Scottish terrier – Bill Cosby gave them the dog as a gift-  at some games there is a student in a costume. Now of course, if you’re afraid of little yappy dogs, then Scotty will surely scare you right off of your rocker. But, when comparing Scotty to other mascots, he’s definitely not at the top of the chain.
4. Artie the Artichoke

In the 1970s, students who attended Scottsdale Community College were highly upset at the amount of money that was being put into the college in order for it to become a junior college sports powerhouse. Because of this, the students felt a need to rebel a little, and were given the option to set up an election to name the new school’s mascot. In the running were three possible winners: the rutabaga, the artichoke, and the scoundrel. Obviously, the artichoke won and Artie soon came to life. Even though the college officials
called the election void and fake, the artichoke mascot has continued to call SCC his home. It’s safe to say that a vegetable isn’t the greatest pick for a mascot. Unless you live in some world with man-eating artichokes, Artie isn’t so scary at all. Tasty, surely.
3. Sammy the Banana Slug

Banana slugs are slow, bright, slimy, and definitely not anything most would imagine being a mascot; but nonetheless, Sammy is the mascot at the University of California-Santa Cruz. Though it’s hardly a mascot that would be seen as intimidating or crowd-riling, it truly mimics the school’s main pillars: non-aggressiveness, flexibility, contemplation, and stepping outside of the status quo. The banana slug was the unofficial mascot of the college for decades. In 1986, students at the university pleaded with the Chancellor to bless the slug as its official mascot (the previous Chancellor had selected a sea lion as a possible mascot). The students continued to demand the change and eventually won after appearing on the David Letterman show.
2. WuShock
 
WuShock came about around the late 1940s after a student named Wilber Elsea decided that the university needed to host a competition that involved designing a mascot that embodied the school. Before the contest, the university was unofficially referred to as the Wheatshockers, due to the fact that students often earned money by harvesting or shocking wheat in nearby fields. However, the school wanted something tougher with a no-nonsense scowl. Soon enough, the name WuShock came to life and today you’re sure to find the big yellow mascot with wheat all over at the games. Maybe it’s just me but I wouldn’t find this mascot to be intimidating, no matter how mean the look on his face is.
1. The Fighting Okra

Delta State University is said to have two mascots. The oldest and most official mascot is the Statesman. This mascot is named after State Representative Walter Sillers Jr., House of Representatives Speaker for 20 years, who played a big role in the town where the school is located (Cleveland, Mississippi). There is also a female version of the Statesman, called the Lady Statesman. Though the Statesman is said to be the official mascot, it’s rare that you’ll find him at every sports game. What you will find is the Fighting Okra, who came to be extremely popular in the 1980s. It’s said that the new mascot grew out of the thoughts of those who didn’t believe a Statesman was frightening at all. There are plenty of theories as to wear the okra idea came from, but it’s said that a few sports players came up with the idea of needing a mascot that was mean and green, and okra fit that perfectly. Though a funny mascot, I’m not so sure just how fear-inducing it is.
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