The 15 best live animal mascots in college sports

October 16, 4:07 PMCollege Sports ExaminerJacob Osterhout

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the College Sports Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The ever regal TOM II before his death.

It has not been a good year for college mascots.

First, Uga VI, Georgia's beloved bulldog and all-time winningest mascot, died in June of a heart attack. And now TOM II, the Bengal tiger mascot of Memphis, has left this world. 

TOM, a name derived from Tigers Of Memphis, was put to sleep on Wednesday morning after recently being diagnosed with cancer. He was 17 at the time of his death.

As a tribute to TOM II and Uga VI here's a list of "The 15 Best Live Animal Mascots" that will carry on the legacy:

1. Smokey IX, Bluetick Coonhound - Tennessee: Representing the Volunteers since 2004, Smokey better watch out for Kentucky students, who kidnapped Smokey II back in 1955.                                           
2. Ralphie IV and Ralphie V, Buffaloes - Colorado: Donated by Ted Turner, these two female buffaloes split time on the sideline at Colorado football games. During Ralphie's first appearance, she broke free from her harness and trampled one of her handlers.                                                                                
3. Mike VI, Siberian-Bengal tiger - LSU: After his predecessor died in May of 2007, Mike VI was donated by an Indiana rescue facility. In his first year of work, LSU won a BCS National Championship.                                                                  
4. Uga VII, English bulldog - Georgia: Uga VII weighs 56.5 pounds and is off to a 5-1 start in Athens, but has yet to bite an Auburn player as his predecessor did.                                                             
5. Butler Blue II, English bulldog - Butler: Upon the retirement of Butler Blue I in 2003, Blue II took over in Indianapolis and has since presided over a Sweet 16 appearance and a Horizon League title.                      
6. Bevo XIV, Texas Longhorn steer - Texas: Bevo was originally named "Sunrise Studly," which is about the coolest name ever. He weighs 1,800 lbs. and attended George W. Bush's second inauguration, which is not the coolest thing ever.           
7. War Eagle VII, Golden Eagle - Auburn: Born in the Montgomery Zoo back in 1999, War Eagle moved to Auburn at a mere six months of age and has been participating in pre-game flights ever since.
8. Mach 1, Falcon - Air Force: This mascot can fly at speeds up to 200 mph.                                                                      
9. Traveler VII, Andalusian horse - USC: Traveler, which was also the name of General Lee's most famous horse in the Civil War, trots around the stadium every time that the USC football team scores. 
10. Raider, Ranger II and General Scott, Mules - Army: Army adopted mules as its mascots to counter the Navy goat.
11. Whitepaw's Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust (Spirit), Alaskan Malamute - University of Washington: Spirit was to retire after the football season anyways, but he recently injured his shoulder and had to step down early.                                               
12. Judge Joy and Sue, Black Bears - Baylor: The first bear on campus at Baylor was won by a local businessman in a poker game.                                                                                                                         
13. Reveille VIII, Collie - Texas A&M: Upon death, the Texas A&M collie, which is always female, is buried in a special cemetery with a view of the scoreboard. When an addition to the stadium blocked the scoreboard, a small scoreboard was erected to keep the tradition alive.
14. Rameses XVIII, Horned Dorset Sheep - UNC: Rameses got the job when his father was killed with a vicious headbutt by his very own brother.                                                                                                        
15. Tusk II, Russian boar - Arkansas: Before Tusk there was Big Red, who escaped from an animal exhibit in 1977 and rampaged the countryside before being shot by an angry farmer.                                    

Rest in peace Uga VI and TOM II.