This week the CU Independent sports section decided to have a very serious meeting. We sat down to come up with a list of the 10 best and 10 worst college mascots. Enjoy!
Best
Ralphie the Buffalo stampedes onto the field, escorted by his handlers, at the Sept. 10 game against Cal. Ralphie was picked best mascot by the CU Independent sports section.(CU Independent/James Bradbury)
Ralphie the Buffalo – University of Colorado
We’re not even going to attempt to act unbiased on this one. Our mascot is completely awesome. There’s basically no better feeling than hearing the fight song and seeing Ralphie run down the field. Plus, our buffalo mascot is unique, intimidating and alive.
Chief Osceola and Renegade – Florida State University
Osceola is an authentic and outstanding mascot. He rides into home games on Renegade, an Appaloosa horse, and places a flaming spear at midfield. FSU also has permission from the Seminole tribe of Florida to use Osceola as their mascot, making it even cooler.
Sebastian the Ibis – University of Miami
Sebastian is an instantly recognizable mascot. According to the school website, folklore says that this marsh bird, a symbol of knowledge in the Everglades, is the “last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane and the first to reappear after the storm.” Not only is Sebastian’s back story cool, he also doesn’t exactly look like a Disney character.
Vili the Warrior – University of Hawaii
Vili is the second human mascot to make our list. His painted body and island attire easily intimidate the competition. Plus he makes some crazy faces and a quick Google search shows that he likes getting into trouble, something we can all appreciate.
SuperFrog – Texas Christian University
So maybe a horned frog doesn’t sound like the coolest mascot, but SuperFrog definitely leaps above the competition. What makes him so cool? Well look at that face! Plus, we all know how much of a sucker I am for a mascot in a jersey.
Willie the Wave – Pepperdine University
If Johnny Bravo, Bruce Campbell and, well, a wave had a love child, it would be Willie the Wave. Willie’s undergone several transformations over the years, but is now the epitome of beachside cool. Any mascot wearing shades and flip-flops deserves a spot on our list.
Keggy the Keg – Dartmouth College (unofficial)
While we think Keggy is a pretty uncreative name, it is admittedly better than “The Big Green.” College and kegs go hand-in-hand, and Keggy’s about as inoffensive as it gets. Hey Keggy, call us?
Knightro – University of Central Florida
Knightro not only has a great name, but also has great style. We love the black and gold color scheme. Plus, knights are a lot cooler than some other sword-wielding mascots.
Mario the Dragon – Drexel University
How many schools can claim a dragon as their mascot? From the first time kids hear “Puff the Magic Dragon,” they basically fall in love with dragons. Consider us still enamored with this royal blue mascot.
Sammy the Slug – University of California Santa Cruz
Sure a smiling, shell-less mollusk mascot isn’t very intimidating, but that’s kind of the point. After a list with some pretty intense fear-sticking mascots, it’s refreshing to see students embrace such a silly mascot.
Worst
Scrotie – Rhode Island School of Design (unofficial, for good reason)
We suggest some viewers shield their eyes from this striking mascot. RISD students don’t hold back. They call their basketball team the Balls and their hockey team the Nads, hence their mascot, which perfectly fits this theme. In making this list, we tried e to not include offensive mascots, but CUI sports editor Michael told us that no guy could find Scrotie offensive.
Boll Weevil – University of Arkansas at Monticello
Boll weevils are actually cotton’s worst enemy. The six-millimeter-long pest might destroy cotton fields, but this mascot can’t be too intimidating to the competition. He kind of reminds us of the Glo Worms we had as babies.
Fighting Pickles – North Carolina School of the Arts
Not sure how a pickle can fight, but we’ll accept this mascot as the tastiest on the list. Plus, inflatable mascots are always a great idea.
Billiken – St. Louis University
According to the school’s site, the only thing that’s really for certain is that the billiken is a representation of good luck. Billiken banks and statuettes were the pet rock of the early 1900s. There are many stories about how the school adopted the billiken as its mascot, but that makes it even more unique. The story is fun, but the crazy alien/bat face puts it on the worst list.
Fighting Okra – Delta State University
If the fighting pickle gained some weight and put on red boxing gloves, he’d fit right in with this mascot. Though officially Delta State is known as the Statesmen, the student body prefers a more edible distinction. The school’s uniforms are green, and okra sure is southern, but there has to have been a better choice than this.
The Stanford Tree – Stanford (unofficial)
Technically, the tree is a part of the band and the Cardinal is the official nickname. The Tree is typically known as Stanford’s mascot, and since they’re our Pac-12 competition, we feel fine about including it on the list. As if a tree weren’t silly enough, the unofficial mascot frequently wears a top hat, bow tie and the ever-present goofy smile.
Jack the Bulldog – Georgetown University
The Georgetown nickname is the Hoyas, so why is their mascot a bulldog? We clearly have an issue with mascots that don’t live up to their nickname. The GU website says that the school’s nickname used to be the Stonewalls. During that era, a student cheered “Hoya Saxa,” which in Greek and Latin terms translates to “What Rocks.” We aren’t exactly intimidated by bulldogs, and that story didn’t exactly help their case either.
Battling Bishops – Ohio Wesleyan University
File this under the same category as Wake Forest’s Demon Deacons – ironic religious mascots. The best (or worst) part about OWU’s mascot is that he looks like a character from “Grumpy Old Men” wearing a red robe. Or maybe it’s Hugh Hefner with a hat on … that’s actually kind of cool.
Otto the Orange – Syracuse University
Their mascot is literally an orange. Need we say more? Our biggest issue with Otto is that his hat and body are completely disproportionate.
HokieBird – Virginia Tech University
Virginia Tech should take heed of our above comments. Their nickname is the Hokies and their mascot is a turkey. Their website says that a student came up with the term “Hokie” for a spirit yell and the name stuck. As for the mascot, the “Gobbler” has several different origin stories, but the name got changed to HokieBird to re-include the nickname.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Marlee Horn at marlee.horn@colorado.edu.
