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1. Uga, the English bulldog that has been a fixture at Sanford Stadium for the last seven decades, is less a mascot than a furry icon. He's appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, he's been the subject of books, and he's even starred in a full-length documentary.
The story of Uga began in the 1950s, when Georgia law student Sonny Seiler and his wife Cecelia got a phone call from the latter's mother. She informed the couple that a friend, Frank Heard, wanted to gift them a bulldog puppy.
This wasn't just any puppy. This supposedly was the grandson of a white English bulldog that had traveled to the 1943 Rose Bowl with Georgia's football team. The Bulldogs beat UCLA that New Year's Day to clinch their first national championship.
"From the git-go," recalled Cecelia in the 2011 book Damn Good Dogs! The real story of Uga, the University of Georgia's bulldog, "Sonny Seiler had it in his mind that some day this might be the Georgia mascot."
According to the book, Seiler's classmate Billy Young came up with the dog's famous name.
"Seiler, if I had that bulldog puppy," Young said, "I'd name him Uga."
"Uh-guh?" said Sonny, who was thinking phonetically, not institutionally.
"Yeah, you know," said Young, "a takeoff on UGA."
And so it was settled. The Seilers took Uga to his first football game on September 29, 1956. At the time, Georgia sports information director Dan Magill was looking for a replacement mascot. (Mike the bulldog had died of natural causes in 1955.) Uga caught the attention of Magill, who noticed the dog in photos published in the next day's newspapers. Magill recommended the dog to coach Wally Butts, who called Seiler into his office to ask if it would be OK to make Uga the school's new mascot. The answer was a resounding yes.
Uga and his kin, which are still cared for by the Seiler family, have served as Georgia's mascots ever since. He's a celebrity — both nationally and locally.
The dog appeared in the 1997 movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil along with his owner. (Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film — set in the 1980s in Savannah, Georgia, where Seiler is a prominent attorney — was based on a non-fiction book of the same name. Seiler played a judge, actor Jack Thompson played Seiler, and Uga V played Uga IV, his father. Follow?) When Uga VII died in 2009, the Georgia campus mourned. John Branch of The New York Times has the details:
He was buried during a private ceremony on the morning of a home game against Kentucky. The university president spoke. Fans came to the game wearing black. Players wore black dog-bone decals on their helmets. There was a moment of silence. A wreath was laid on top of the doghouse, which sat empty. Seiler's search for the next Uga began.
Today, Uga IX holds the position. He prowls the sideline in his jersey — made from the same material that the players wear — and occasionally rests in his very own air conditioned dog house.
2. Stanford, The Tree
Officially, Stanford doesn't have a mascot. But everybody knows The Tree. According to the university, The Tree "is representative of El Palo Alto, the Redwood tree which is the logo of the city of Palo Alto." Since 1975, a student has dressed up in a goofy tree suit — and caused mayhem.
3. Ohio State, Brutus
For college football fans, Brutus is instantly recognizable. But he didn't always look the way he does today. According to Ohio State, "In 1965, an art student designed and introduced the first Brutus, while the name was chosen in a contest. The mascot began as a hardened paper mache affair that looked like a bowling ball with legs. In 1975, a radical new Brutus was designed with a prune-like head and a man's body. That attempt was booed off the field and was re-worked, giving way to a mascot comparable to the beloved present-day Brutus."
4. Colorado, Ralphie
In 1934, the school paper held a contest to pick an official nickname. "Buffaloes" won, and for the last game of the year, students rented a buffalo calf to use as a mascot. The first Ralphie was donated to Colorado in 1966. Ralphie IV and Ralphie V now share mascot duties. Ralphie leads the football team out before every game at Folsom Field.
5. LSU, Mike the Tiger
LSU has been using a live tiger — named Mike — as its mascot since the mid-1930s. The latest, Mike VI, was born in 2005. There's also a costumed version of Mike who once starred in a SportsCenter commercial with former LSU superstar Shaquille O'Neal.
6. Tennessee, Smokey
The blue tick coon hounds that have served as Tennessee's mascots since 1953 are some seriously tough dogs. Just look at what they've been through:
Smokey II was dognapped by Kentucky students in 1955 and later survived a confrontation with the Baylor Bear at the 1957 Sugar Bowl. Smokey VI, who suffered heat exhaustion in the 140-degree temperatures at the 1991 UCLA game, was listed on the Vols injury report until he returned later in the season. Smokey III compiled a 105-39-5 record and two SEC championships. Smokey VI, who passed away in 1991, was on the sidelines for three SEC championships. Smokey VIII is the winningest Smokey, having compiled a record of 91-22 (.805), with two SEC titles and the 1998 national championship. The newest Smokey, Smokey IX, began his post at the 2004 Peach Bowl.
7. TCU, SuperFrog
TCU's unique mascot looks like an 8-bit video game character. That's not a bad thing. "Anytime somebody does matchups between us and our opponent, we never win the mascot portion of the matchup because everyone thinks SuperFrog looks so weird," former TCU mascot T.J. Howard told the L.A. Times in 2010. "But it's about the tradition of being the small guy with all the fight, and we love it."
8. Stephen F. Austin, Lumberjack/Ladyjack
Most costumed mascots toil in anonymity. Not at Stephen F. Austin, where the Lumberjack and Ladyjack roam the sideline. "The Lumberjack position at SFA, everyone says you're the face of the university," SFA mascot Blake Taylor told the Los Angeles Daily News in March. "A lot of school mascots have big fuzzy heads over them. At SFA, you're the guy. They see you at all the football games and basketball games. Your face is seen around a lot."
9. Texas, Bevo
Bevo has been Texas's mascot for nearly a century. Bevo XIV is the latest in a long line of longhorn steer that have filled the role. (There are a few theories about how he got his name.) Also: Bevo is huge. The Daily Texas Online reported that weighs 2,000 pounds and eats 60 pounds of food a day.
10. Georgia Tech, Rambling Wreck
One of Georgia Tech's mascots is Buzz, a Yellow Jacket. The other is the Rambling Wreck, a restored 1930 Ford Model A Cabriolet Sports Coupe. The car made its debut on September 30, 1961, at Grant Field and continues to appear at every Yellow Jackets home game. It's the most unique mascot in the country, and thus deserves a spot on this list.
Honorable Mentions
Auburn, Aubie the Tiger/War Eagle; Michigan State, Sparty; Oregon, Puddles; Syracuse, Otto the Orange; West Virginia, The Mountaineer
