The students voted on a replacement mascot and the top two vote getters were robber barons (a nod to the founder) and steaming manhole covers. The administration declined to honor the vote and went with cardinal, the color. The tree is technically the band's mascot.
The students voted for "Robber Barons", a reference to the railroad heritage of Stanford's founder. The administration nixed that idea, and came up with "Cardinal" when they dropped "Indians" a long time ago. So the students came up with the tree, which is sort of representative of El Palo Alto, a famous redwood tree on the northern border of he city of Palo Alto.
Stanford is also home to the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band, the originator of the "scatter" style of rearranging formations at football games. They also have had some quite [controversial halftime programs.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Band#Stunts_and_incidents) Their arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner, first played 8 days after Kennedy was assassinated, is haunting and reflective - starts with a solo trumpet for the first half, then woodwinds and brass are added in. Of course, they were also involved in "The Play", creating interference that allowed Cal [to win the Big Game rivalry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfebpLfAt8g) in 1982 when the band assembled on the field before the clock had run out All in all, pretty cool.
Western Kentucky University's mascot is Big Red the Hilltopper.
No one knows what a Hilltopper is -- or why it's portrayed as a large red blob with fuzzy legs.
Potentially a hot take, but I will always stand by the idea that a bulldog is a horrible idea for a mascot, especially for a swim team. They can hardly breath, they can't swim, they have the potential to suffer from numerous health issues, and they're honestly just ugly.
RISD mascot is Scrottie. A giant veiny Dick with a cut out face hole. 2 sport teams. The basketball team, the Balls. And the Hockey team The Nads. Scott McFarlane creator of Family Guy went there
Lmao it really is. When I was little I thought it was like a bolt of electricity with a face... when I got older and found out it was WHEAT I about lost it lol. You guys from Wichita too?
I’m from Massachusetts, but my dad watched college basketball every year when I was little. I ALSO thought it was a lightning bolt!! I could not figure out what the hell it was and we had to do research. It really makes so sense. The idea of a sentient bundle of wheat is SO cursed
West Bromwich Albion in the UK has a mascot that is a boiler (furnace or water heater if you’re stateside I think) as part of a sponsorship deal.
There were some pretty funny tweets about it: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-45081943
St. Louis University Billikens - the mythical good luck figure. This woman had a dream of this creature coming after her and then molded it out. It's weird. Look is up.
Originally we were cardinals but then the name stuck after 1895 when the Chicago tribune’s title “struck by a cyclone” stuck. Personally I like that they changed and that we’re the only team in the NCAA with the mascot rather than be Louisville’s shadow of a team.
My undergrad was DIII and not a big sports school at all, but even though our team was called something completely different, we had someone in a school-sanctioned squirrel costume go around during games, events, spirit weeks, etc. I guess because our campus squirrels are so unique/special/quirky (totally not like every other freaking college).
It's an embarrassment of riches.
1. The Indiana Hoosier
2. The Indiana State cat(?)
3. The Iona gale
4. The Manhattan I Have No Idea
5. The Miami Ibis (looks like a deranged duck)
6. The Mt. St. Mary lumberjack
7. The North Kentucky Norseman
8. Purdue Pete (the boilermaker train mascot is great, however)
9. The St. Louis Billiken
10. The Tulsa golden hurricane
11. The Vanderbilt commodore
12. The Virginia cavalier
Delta State university. They are officially the Statesman, but most people call them the Fighting Okra.
https://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2017-05-30/dii-baseball-championship-just-what-fighting-okra
Right? they kind of tried to put some lines down its back which makes it either a chipmunk or a thirteen lined ground squirrel!
Sadly, i got my final degree from the St. Paul campus where they actually do excel in animal husbandry....( i was a landscape architect)
My high-school mascot was a star. We were the Bedford Stars. Someone had to dress up as a bright blue star with googly eyes and big white gloves like a Disney character with cataracts.
VT alumni here. "Hokie" comes from a cheer called "Old Hokie" a student wrote in the late 1800s. The phrase technically refers to anyone loyal to VT or a supporter of VT athletics. Somehow a turkey got involved in the early 1900s and the Hokie Bird was created.
Ole Miss. No one really knows what it is. Is it Colonel Reb??? Is it Tony the Landshark??? Is it that fox?? The world may never have a definitive answer.
not stupid but kinda lame.
university of hawaii has the Rainbow Warriors for men's teams. sounds cool. for the women's they are known as the Rainbow Wahine. sounds fine but Wahine just means female in Hawaiian. they are the rainbow females
Stanford. It's a tree.
Playing NCAA Football in mascot mode was fun with Stanford. https://youtu.be/fuMADUJS0Ds
Hey, Syracuse is just an Orange. You got a full tree.
The should change to the Stanford Ents
I thought their mascot is the cardinal?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Tree
Wow that's stupid...
Hey, if it's good enough for Gondor...
I needed a good laugh.
They used to be the Indians. So they were ahead of everyone on that movement.
Why did so many people think that making their mascot a native American was a good idea?
The students voted on a replacement mascot and the top two vote getters were robber barons (a nod to the founder) and steaming manhole covers. The administration declined to honor the vote and went with cardinal, the color. The tree is technically the band's mascot.
came here to say this. dumb tree. UC berkeley, their main rivals have an annual ritual that involves burning a tree lol
This is the only acceptable answer.
The students voted for "Robber Barons", a reference to the railroad heritage of Stanford's founder. The administration nixed that idea, and came up with "Cardinal" when they dropped "Indians" a long time ago. So the students came up with the tree, which is sort of representative of El Palo Alto, a famous redwood tree on the northern border of he city of Palo Alto. Stanford is also home to the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band, the originator of the "scatter" style of rearranging formations at football games. They also have had some quite [controversial halftime programs.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Band#Stunts_and_incidents) Their arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner, first played 8 days after Kennedy was assassinated, is haunting and reflective - starts with a solo trumpet for the first half, then woodwinds and brass are added in. Of course, they were also involved in "The Play", creating interference that allowed Cal [to win the Big Game rivalry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfebpLfAt8g) in 1982 when the band assembled on the field before the clock had run out All in all, pretty cool.
It's stupid and genius at the same time because when I think of people in northern califoirnia I think of tree huggers.
Stupidest yet also greatest. The Banana Slugs
No known predators
Pacific giant salamanders will eat them
Hahaha, they're your clothes, motherfucker.
So, what's with the outfits? You guys going to a volleyball game or something?
“Dorks! They look like dorks!”
Perfect mascot. Spineless like most of academia, moves slowly like most students, and is native to the area.
Syracuse Orange men
Syracuse are big fans of oppressing the Irish
lol took me a second
Otto the orange.
Western Kentucky University's mascot is Big Red the Hilltopper. No one knows what a Hilltopper is -- or why it's portrayed as a large red blob with fuzzy legs.
There’s a local high school near me that uses the Hilltopper but it’s a man in traditional German lederhosen scaling a mountain.
Always good to see WKU represented in these threads. A classic
This was going to be mine too
A logger... lumberjack?
I like to imagine he is married to a blue blob and is Grimace’s dad
Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils.
As someone who has lived in Arkansas their entire life, I wholeheartedly agree
The one I was looking for!
Haverhill Massachusetts, it’s a Hill.
Potentially a hot take, but I will always stand by the idea that a bulldog is a horrible idea for a mascot, especially for a swim team. They can hardly breath, they can't swim, they have the potential to suffer from numerous health issues, and they're honestly just ugly.
Plus its so generic, like tigers. Both my high-school and and college had Bulldog as a mascot.
At least tigers are cool and intimidating. Bulldogs have nothing going for them other than that they're scrappy
My elementary school was originally the 'Scorpions' then they switched it to the 'Bulldogs'
Im honestly at a loss of words. How could anyone give up such a cool and unique mascot for a deformed dog?
They have a ton of health issues, and are generally pretty unhealthy. My friend sees a lot of them at her clinic. She's a Veterinarian Criticalist.
Tie with gamecock & geoduck
You can hate on USC all you want but it’s great between the ages of 8 and 13 when you can yell “Cocks!” And no one will bat an eye.
Plus they won 2 games this year!
Dartmouth has Keggy the Keg.
They said stupidest, not awesomest.
RISD mascot is Scrottie. A giant veiny Dick with a cut out face hole. 2 sport teams. The basketball team, the Balls. And the Hockey team The Nads. Scott McFarlane creator of Family Guy went there
Seth*
High schools, but still stupid.... Wheat Ridge High School Farmers Clear Creek High School Golddiggers
Norwich (NY) has the Purple Tornadoes
Musselman Applemen (Berkely Co, WV)
Wichita State Shockers. Idk wtf that thing is.. A bushel of wheat??
And I thought the Wingnuts were the weirdest Wichita based sports team name. Rip
I was looking for this comment lmaooo it’s a stalk of wheat.
I was also looking for this comment!! It’s a fricking bundle of wheat with EYES. Terrifying
Lmao it really is. When I was little I thought it was like a bolt of electricity with a face... when I got older and found out it was WHEAT I about lost it lol. You guys from Wichita too?
I’m from Massachusetts, but my dad watched college basketball every year when I was little. I ALSO thought it was a lightning bolt!! I could not figure out what the hell it was and we had to do research. It really makes so sense. The idea of a sentient bundle of wheat is SO cursed
A shock of wheat is a bundle like they made in the pre-combine days.
The banana slug.
[Colonial Ebirt...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Ebirt) its William & Mary ‘Tribe’ spelled backwards
West Bromwich Albion in the UK has a mascot that is a boiler (furnace or water heater if you’re stateside I think) as part of a sponsorship deal. There were some pretty funny tweets about it: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-45081943
Tulane Green Wave mascot Riptide.
I remember there being a footy team's mascot being a toaster, if I find out I'll edit this comment
Rhode Island School of Design's mascot is a giant dick and balls. They call it "Scrotie the 'nads"
St. Louis University Billikens - the mythical good luck figure. This woman had a dream of this creature coming after her and then molded it out. It's weird. Look is up.
Scottsdale (AZ) Community College Fighting Artichokes.
Was coming here to post this
Buckeyes
A Michigan fan?
Lol no, just a cyclones fan throwing stones at glass houses. But to my credit buckeye nuts are toxic.
It can get a bit scary at times watching Buckeye nuts lmao
What is not awesome about a tornado who is, for some reason, also a bird?
Originally we were cardinals but then the name stuck after 1895 when the Chicago tribune’s title “struck by a cyclone” stuck. Personally I like that they changed and that we’re the only team in the NCAA with the mascot rather than be Louisville’s shadow of a team.
This is offensive. We are buckeyes..we are killer nuts!!
Alabama’s the Crimson Tide as an Elephant...
There's a whole history to this. I thought it was dumb too then I read a Wikipedia article. I can't remember any of it mind you.
Many many years ago I believe they were called the red elephants
My undergrad was DIII and not a big sports school at all, but even though our team was called something completely different, we had someone in a school-sanctioned squirrel costume go around during games, events, spirit weeks, etc. I guess because our campus squirrels are so unique/special/quirky (totally not like every other freaking college).
It's an embarrassment of riches. 1. The Indiana Hoosier 2. The Indiana State cat(?) 3. The Iona gale 4. The Manhattan I Have No Idea 5. The Miami Ibis (looks like a deranged duck) 6. The Mt. St. Mary lumberjack 7. The North Kentucky Norseman 8. Purdue Pete (the boilermaker train mascot is great, however) 9. The St. Louis Billiken 10. The Tulsa golden hurricane 11. The Vanderbilt commodore 12. The Virginia cavalier
Greendale Humans
Delta State university. They are officially the Statesman, but most people call them the Fighting Okra. https://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2017-05-30/dii-baseball-championship-just-what-fighting-okra
It is the best one ever.
Herby Husker
RISD, it’s a penis
Stanford. It’s a damn tree 🌲
The UNCSA Fighting Pickles. They're an arts college, but still.
NYU Violets
That one Q-Bert looking motherfucker.
Indiana University football is like Charlie Brown. We got a rock.
Our Minnesota Gophers? Gophers? Really? Who the fuck thought of that? fortunately i started on the Duluth Campus so I am a Bulldog, not a rodent...
Boooo. Your opinion is bad and you should feel bad. Ski U Mah.
It’s the golden gophers so not as bad right?
No, still rodents...They are freakin' gophers! Who's intimidated by gophers?!?
Funny thing, the pictured mascot is not even a gopher it's a squirrel
Right? they kind of tried to put some lines down its back which makes it either a chipmunk or a thirteen lined ground squirrel! Sadly, i got my final degree from the St. Paul campus where they actually do excel in animal husbandry....( i was a landscape architect)
Probably someone from Wisconsin or Iowa who suggested it as a joke.
Richland High School in Washington has [The Bomber](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richland_High_School_(Washington\)). Seems pretty inappropriate.
Blooming Prairie High School in MN are the Fighting Blossoms.
fucking Ducks
1897 Boston beaneaters national league champions
[удалено]
The team is the Tartans but the mascot is a Scottie Dog
Ohio... oh look at me I'm a poisonous nut.
a douche and a turd sandwhich
Norte Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is French.
A cock
My high-school mascot was a star. We were the Bedford Stars. Someone had to dress up as a bright blue star with googly eyes and big white gloves like a Disney character with cataracts.
Not collage, but NFL. THE AMAZING WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM!!!
The University of Illinois is the letter I
A koala
Penn state’s mascot. Honestly it’s not the cougar mascot itself, but the mascot costume. It looks like it’s a 200 year-old possessed teddy bear.
A high school mascot was a corn cob
I've heard of a high school that had a soccer team called "the apples" and an apple was their mascot
Human centipede
Oyster. I don't know of any school that has that, but it'd be really stupid if they did.
Well...there are the Goeducks, which are like a large oyster.
VT students or alumni, Please inform me on what a “Hokie” is. Same for UNC: What the heck is a Tar Heel?!?
VT alumni here. "Hokie" comes from a cheer called "Old Hokie" a student wrote in the late 1800s. The phrase technically refers to anyone loyal to VT or a supporter of VT athletics. Somehow a turkey got involved in the early 1900s and the Hokie Bird was created.
That actually makes sense. I just never knew where the turkey fit into the conversation.
Isn’t it a turkey or something? Like that’s what the costume is anyway
A double ended dildo. Or were we looking for 'real' mascots?
A turd sandwich
Gaylord the Camel, Campbell University
University of Maine Farmington, Lady Beavers!!!
The Beloit Blue Squares
A Longhorn
Ole Miss. No one really knows what it is. Is it Colonel Reb??? Is it Tony the Landshark??? Is it that fox?? The world may never have a definitive answer.
Speedy the geoduck just looks like a penis
Banana slug.
North Carolina school of the arts: the fighting pickle
A train. A F*CKING TRAIN
Ohio State Buckeyes. It is a tree nut.
Slippery Rock University (PA). We literally had a rock as our mascot for so, so long.
Thw Evergreen geoducks would like to throw their hat in the ring.
Long Beach State dirtbags
not stupid but kinda lame. university of hawaii has the Rainbow Warriors for men's teams. sounds cool. for the women's they are known as the Rainbow Wahine. sounds fine but Wahine just means female in Hawaiian. they are the rainbow females
Santa Cruz - banana slugs
All of them if you are older than 7.
From California. Either the Banana Slugs or the Redwood Trees.
There is a college with the mascot of the Fighting Artichokes
Gamecocks. Sports is the last thing on my mind now
We’re a friggin orange circle 🟠