Best College Mascots (Live)

Ralphie is a she and is a big, 1,300-pound buffalo with horns and hooves. Her top speed is around 20-25 MPH.

4. Bevo (Long Horn), University of Texas.

The legend says that in 1916, either in retaliation over a humiliating loss to Texas, Texas A&M branded a Texas Longhorn steer with 13-0, the score of a previous A&M victory. In a example of turning lemons to lemonade, Texas rebranded the Longhorn. 13 became B. The hyphen became an E. A V was added then the zero remained as O. BEVO was born.

5. Mike the Tiger, LSU.
One of LSU’s traditions is for Mike to parade around the field with the LSU cheerleaders perched on top of his cage-on-wheels. Mike’s trailer stops in front of the Tiger Band and the student section. LSU tradition dictates that the Tigers will score a touchdown for every time Mike growls before the game. According to Baker, Mike the Tiger does not appear to like Mike the Mascot, or any other mascot for that matter. Mike tends to roar at the mascot almost every time he sees him, predicting a touchdown for LSU and exciting the crowd inside Death Valley. 

6. Bill the Goat, Navy.
The first Bill the Goat appeared in 1893. Currently, Bill XXXI reigns as the 34th mascot and is the 30th goat to be named Bill.In 1893, however, a live goat named El Cid made his debut as a mascot at the fourth Army-Navy game. El Cid was a gift to the Brigade of Midshipmen from officers of the USS New York. The goat helped Navy win 6-3 over Army that year, so he it was adopted as part of the team. 
  
7. Traveller (White Horse), USC.

Traveler first made an appearance at USC football games in 1961. Whenever USC scores, the band plays "Conquest" and Traveler gallops around the Coliseum.

8. Falcon, Air Force Acedamy.

The falcon was the first collegiate mascot-and a wild creature at that-to perform at sports events, free and untethered. Here is the fascinating history of this unique performing mascot, from the ancient art of falconry to the use of these magnificent birds in reaching out to the public to entertain and to educate.

9. Renegade (Horse), FSU.

Renegade and Chief Osceola have been representing FSU for over 25 years. "My wife ... thought up the idea of getting a horse and a rider, which began the Renegade and Osceola theme," Head Coach Bobby Bowden remembers. "Bill Durham is the one who got the horse and carried it out and kind of took it over, which is good because he is doing an excellent job."  

10. Peruna(Shetland Pony), SMU.

The name "Peruna" is given to each successive live mascot. A black shetland pony, Peruna has been present at every SMU home football game for over 70 years. "Peruna" also refers to the costumed mascot and SMU's fight song. Other notable incidents involving Peruna are when he tried to mount Texas Tech's horse, Misty, sent the University of Texas Longhorn Bevo to the ground with a kick in the side, and defacated at midfield during a TCU - SMU game, the week that TCU unveiled the school's brand new Field Turf. 


Honorable Mention
 
11. Reveille (American Collie), Texas A&M. In 1931, Reveille came to Texas A&M when some cadets hit a small black and white dog on their way back from Navasota. They picked up the dog and brought her back to school so they could care for her. The next morning, when "Reveille" was blown, the dog started barking and then was named after this morning wakeup call. The next football season she was named the official mascot.

12. Joy and Lady (Bears), Baylor University. A series of bears have served as Baylor's mascot, but the best known was Joe College, who came to Baylor through the work of Baylor student, Bill Boyd. Boyd bought the bear from a Texas zoo that went broke. He then approached Baylor's president and offered to take care of the bear in exchange for free tuition. The president accepted the deal and the tradition of live bears as mascots has continued since.
  
13. Handsome Dan (Bulldog), Yale. The oldest continuous college mascot. For over 115 years and 15 previous bulldogs have represented Yale.


14. Smokey (Blue tick hound), University of Tennessee. In 1953, a student poll revealed a desire to select a live mascot. The Tennessee Pep Club held a contest in 1953 to select a coonhound, a native breed of the state, as the mascot to represent the school. Announcements of the contest in local newspapers read, “This can’t be an ordinary hound. He must be a ‘Houn’ Dog’ in the best sense of the word.” 
  
15. Tusk, (Russian Boar), University of Arkanas. The live boar mascot tradition dates back to the 1960s and several hogs have represented Arkansas through the years. Tusk, a Russian boar (380 lbs.) that closely resembles a wild razorback hog, is the current official live mascot. He lives on a local farm and leaves his home to attend all Arkansas home games.


16. Cam the Ram, Colorada State. In 1947, the students at Colorado State, known at that time as the Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College, voted on a permanent mascot. They chose the Rambouillet Ram as the official mascot. The name CAM represented "Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical."

17. Rameses (Ram), University of North Carolina. In 1922, the idea of having a ram as a mascot came from a bruising fullback named Jack Merritt. Merritt was nicknamed "the battering ram" for the way he plunged into lines. It seemed natural to have a mascot to symbolize the style of play of this player.

18. Jack, English Bulldog, Georgetown. In 1962, "Jack" and the breed of English Bulldog was formally adopted the official mascot of Georgetown.


19. Nova(Golden Eagle) or Spirit (Bald Eagle). Auburn University. The namesake of Auburn's battle cry "War Eagle" is represented by a live eagle. At every home football game, an eagle is released into free flight from the upper deck of Jordan-Hare Stadium. To a deafening roar of the cheer 'Waaarrrrr Eagle'. Even though the War Eagle is really a symbol for Auburn University, she made the best mascot list. Tiger retired at the end of the 2006 season and was replaced by Nova and Spirit.


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