Mascots are a huge part of team culture. They give schools an identity, jazz up the crowds, and provide a lot of entertainment during games. Here is where 14 classic SEC mascots got their start:
1. University of Florida: Gators
The University of Florida Gators mascot originated in 1908. Phillips Miller wanted to order some banners for his store in Gainesville but realized that Florida didn't have an emblem. Phillips' son, Austin, came up with the idea for an alligator as alligators are native to Florida and he didn't think any other school identified with that animal. Ever since, the gator has been an iconic figure of the University of Florida.
2. UGA: Bulldogs (Uga)
The University of Georgia mascot was first seen in 1956. UGA is known to use real bulldogs as their mascot named Uga. The very first Uga was owned by Cecelia Seiler, and she made Uga's red jersey out of kids' t-shirts. The Uga you see today is the 10th UGA bulldog.
There are multiple theories as to where the nickname “Bulldogs” came from. Some say that it's from Georgia's close ties with Yale University, who are also the Bulldogs. Others say that a writer for The Atlanta Journal wrote in 1920 that bulldogs would be a good name because of their dignity and ferocity.
3. Kentucky: Wildcats
The first University of Kentucky Wildcat was seen in 1976. However, the nickname “Wildcats” came from 1909 when the head of the military department told students during a chapel service after a game that the Kentucky football team “fought like Wildcats.” The name stuck and is now synonymous with UK followers.
4. Missouri: Tigers
The University of Missouri Tigers got their nickname in the Civil War era. When citizens heard that a guerilla band was coming to raid the town of Columbia, people organized a group to build a blockhouse in the center of the town. The company was known as “The Missouri Tigers.” In 1980, the athletic department adopted the Tiger mascot to recognize those who defended their town.
5. South Carolina: Gamecocks
The University of South Carolina Gamecocks got their nickname in 1902. When South Carolina beat their rival Clemson in a football game, fans celebrated by drawing a gamecock over the Clemson Tiger. The next day was the state fair parade, and South Carolina students brought the drawing of the gamecock to the parade which made Clemson students extremely mad. After threats of a massive fight breaking out, police and professors were able to defuse the situation and made everyone burn the drawing together. From that point on, South Carolina was referred to as the “Gamecocks.” This could be one of the most original SEC Mascots of all time.
6. Tennessee: The Volunteers/Smokey
The University of Tennessee also got its nickname in 1902. It started when newspapers began referring to the football team as the Volunteers.
The state of Tennessee became known as the Volunteer State due to the large number of volunteers to fight in the War of 1812.
Tennessee's official mascot is Smokey, a hound dog. The Vols decided on this mascot in 1953 when the Pep Club held a halftime contest where the mascot with the loudest cheer would become the school's mascot. Smokey won over the crowd and has been with the Vols ever since.
7. Vanderbilt: Commodores
Vanderbilt University's nickname comes from the very beginning of the school's history. Cornelius Vanderbilt founded the university in 1873. Cornelius was known by people as “the Commodore.” When deciding on a nickname, the school decided to honor its founder.
8. Alabama: Crimson Tide/Elephants
Originally, the University of Alabama was known as the Thin Red Line or the Crimson White. In 1907, Alabama played against favorited Auburn in Birmingham in the pouring rain. Reportedly, the iron-rich soil stained Alabama's white jerseys red. The game ended in a 6-6 tie, and newspapers said the team played like “a Crimson Tide.” The name stuck ever since.
The Elephant mascot comes from 1930, when a newspaper journalist wrote, “At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, ‘Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity.” That same team later became National Champions, and the elephant mascot stuck.
9. Arkansas: Razorbacks
The University of Arkansas got its name in 1909. The school used to be known as the Cardinals until head football coach, Hugo Bezdek, called his players “a wild band of razorback hogs.” A year later, the school voted to change its name to the Razorbacks.
10. Auburn: Tigers
Auburn University has been known as the Tigers since the start of the school's football program in 1892. The name comes from an Oliver Goldsmith poem that said, “where crouching tigers await their hapless prey…”
11. LSU: Tigers
Yet another SEC Tiger mascot may make LSU look unoriginal, but Louisiana State University has one of the most interesting SEC Mascots story. The football team was first called the Tigers after the team held a perfect 6-0 record in 1896. The name originates from a Civil War-era company in New Orleans called the Tiger Rifles. This company then became part of a battalion and the entire battalion was soon known as the Tigers. All Louisiana troops quickly became known as the Tigers. LSU took this history and applied it to their athletic teams.
12. Mississippi: Ole Miss
The University of Mississippi became known as Ole Miss when the school formed a committee to come up with a name for the yearbook. A committee member, Elma Meek, suggested the name “Ole Miss.” The committee liked the name, and its popularity grew from there.
Mississippi still doesn't have an official mascot to go by. They had brief trials with a Landshark and the Black Bears, but nothing has seemed to stick.
13. Mississippi State: Bulldogs
Mississippi State University became known as the Bulldogs in 1961. However, the school had the unofficial nickname long before that. It came from when a newspaper referred to Mississippi State's style of play after a win over Mississippi as “bulldog” like. The first knowledge of the use of the nickname was in 1926 when a bulldog was brought to a school pep rally.
14. Texas A&M: Aggies
Texas A&M University athletes were originally called the Farmers in the early 1900s. A&M stands for agricultural and mechanical, and the name Aggie comes from the agricultural roots of the school. The name first appeared in the 1920s but became official in the yearbook in 1949.
* Originally published on February 15, 2024, by Bella Nevin
