Animal Mascots in College Basketball: Meet the Mascots of March Madness

The Sweet 16 is set! Some surprises, some disappointments but amazing basketball all around. We can’t give all the credit to the good luck mascots but let’s admit their presence does make the game even more entertaining. Animals have been used as mascots in college sports since the early 1900s with live animals being popular mascots in the beginning.  Animal costumes came later with a variety of looks including full-fur suits. Today animal mascots are mostly costumed characters with big personalities and tons of team spirit. Half of the teams in the Sweet 16 have animal mascots; let’s take a look at the animal mascots of the Sweet 16!

The Animal Division (The South Division):

All four teams of the South Division have animals as their mascots! If Arizona and Villanova win it will be a catfight with the Wildcats vs the Wildcats.

• Arizona Wildcats: Wildcats (Felis silvestris) are two species in the cat family, the European wildcat and the African wild cat. But it also refers to the wild cats that roam the United States like bobcats from the lynx family. The first Arizona wildcat was a live Bobcat that was affectionately named Rufus Arizona after the schools president, Rufus Bernard Von KleinSmid. Now the teams have two mascots, Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat, a happily married couple!

Bobcats (Lynx rufus ) are larger than house cats and can get to be about 30 lbs. They have light brown spotted fur, large paws and a short tail. The ears of a bobcat have tufts of fur on them and a set of sharp canine teeth on the top and bottom jaw. Bobcats are a worthy mascot because they seem to be fearless. They have been known to kill and eat rattlesnakes! Recently they were videotaped raiding the nest of a Burmese Python in the Everglades, now that is fearless!

• Houston Cougars: The Houston cougars have both a live mascot and two costumed characters. Shasta VI is a live cougar that lives at the Houston Zoo. He was an orphaned cougar cub that the zoo took in and the UH Alumni decided to help support. The costumed Shasta and Sasha make appearances at many of the men’s and women’s sporting events.

Cougars (Puma concolor) are large predators that can grow to be 70-220 lbs.! They are also called pumas, mountain lions, and panthers. Cougars in Texas live in remote mountain areas and are expanding into more counties throughout the state. They eat small animals like rodents and rabbits but can also take down deer and wild hogs. Cougars are stealthy hunters and fierce fighters making them an obvious choice as a mascot.

• Michigan Wolverines: The first wolverine mascot was a taxidermied wolverine named Biff. He was later joined by a live wolverine, named Bennie, from the Detroit Zoo in 1927. In 1949 a costumed wolverine named Murderwulf was introduced. He was replaced by a more modern “Willy” and then was retired with a few years that the teams went without a mascot. Now a new Muredrwulf 2.0 is the mascot for the Wolverines.

Wolverines (Gulo gulo) are fierce creatures, known to have a bit of an attitude. They look somewhat like a small bear with brown fur and long claws (that can contract). Wolverines grow to be 20-60 lbs. and nearly 3 feet long. Their sharp teeth tear into their prey and they are adept hunters of rodents, deer and can even take on small bears!

• Villanova Wildcats: The Villanova wildcats from Pennsylvania had live bobcats as their mascot in the early years between 1930-1950 with the name Count Villian being passed on to each successor. Now the wildcats have a costumed bobcat named Will D. Cat! The Villanova Wildcats could face the Arizona Wildcats in the Elite 8 round if they both win.

Animal Mascots of the Sweet 16: West Division

• Gonzaga Bulldogs: The Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington has had live and costumed bulldogs as their mascot. The current mascot is a costumed bulldog named Spike that appears at many of the men’s and women’s events. For a small fee you can have Spike appear at your special event, birthday party or maybe even stand in for your best man at your wedding. Details are on the schools website!

Bulldogs have a muscular build with a wrinkly face. Their underbite often presents two sharp canines that make them look fierce.  They are stocky dogs that are originally from England but are now a popular pet in the US. Male bulldogs can get to be 50-55 lbs.

• Arkansas Razorbacks: What is a Razorback? A Razorback is a pig that became the school’s mascot back in 1909 when coach Hugo Bezdek said the team played like a “wild band of razorback hogs”. Now the team has Big Red as their costumed mascot and Tusk V as their live mascot. Tusk V is a Russian boar that looks much like the wild boars that live in Arkansas today.

Razorback hogs (Wild Boar) are ill-tempered and aggressive and can cause a lot of damage, especially in a herd. Most states in the US have some variety of Wild Boars and try to manage this invasive species. Males can get to be 150-300 lbs. and have long sharp tusks. The razorback hogs have a bristly Mohawk of hair that stands up along their back, thus the name “razorback”. Definitely one of the toughest animal mascots of the Sweet 16!

Animals Mascots: The East Division

• St. Peter’s Peacocks: St. Peter’s University is a small private school in Jersey City, New Jersey. The peacock seems like an unusual mascot, but in 1930 the Rev. Gannon chose the peacock to show the spirit of “resurrection and eternal life.” Jersey City was also once known as the “Land of the Peacock”. Today they have a costumed peacock that cheers on the teams named Peter.

Peacocks (or Peafowl) have a brilliant metallic display of feathers that explains the phrase “strut like a peacock”. Like many bird species, the males are the ones with the colorful feathers while the females are more bland. Peacocks weigh between 9-13 lbs. but they look much bigger with their feathers spread. Wild Peacocks do live in New Jersey and can be found throughout the United States. The Green Peafowl which can only be found in Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

The Midwest Division

• Kansas Jayhawks: The University of Kansas got the name Jayhawks from combing the names of two birds, the blue jay and the sparrow hawk. According to the schools website “Jayhawks were synonymous with the impassioned people who made Kansas a Free State”. In the 1960’s a costumed Jayhawk named Big Jay was introduced. In a clever PR stunt in 1971 a huge egg was hauled out to the 50-yard-line at halftime of the Homecoming game and out hatched Baby Jay, Big Jay’s new sidekick!

Jayhawks are a mythical animals, a combination of a Blue jay and a Sparrow hawk. Blue jays are common birds in the United States and have a reputation for being a bit feisty. Sparrow hawks are sometimes called American kestrels, a type of falcon, and are a small bird of prey. Sparrow hawks may be small, only about 12 inches tall, but they are intimidating predators. Combine the two and you have a worthy mascot.

Which Animal Mascot of the Sweet 16 is the toughest?

Of all the mascots on our list the battle between the Wolverines and Wildcats would be the closest match with either one having a good chance of winning the fight. The Razorback hog would probably win against a bulldog. Cougars are much bigger than bobcats so the Cougars would probably win against the Wildcats. A 220 lb Cougar would probably be the toughest animal mascot of the Sweet 16, but let’s see which team is the toughest on the court!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Art G. / CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons – License / Original