This chapter turned out to be more of a challenge than I anticipated when I started.
I decided to pursue this subject for a chapter because I’d already presented photos of the Franklin College campus in Chapter 2, and I wanted to maintain a rotation of odd-numbered chapters for game pictures, and even-numbered ones for campus shots.
I got a good number of pictures of mascots at games for several schools — among them Wabash College, Marian University, Manchester University, the University of Indianapolis and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
But I had to hunt around to find any for the other schools so all would be represented. This is supposed to be a light, easy-read chapter, so I won't bog you down with the gory details.
I'll present these in the order in which I visited the respective schools. Beginning with ...
FRANKLIN COLLEGE
Here is one mascot whose photo I did NOT take (there will be a few more). The image above actually is a screen grab from a video available at one of the school's web pages. So I give the college full credit for the image source.
I don't remember seeing the mascot at the two football games I photographed at Franklin College (the first in October 2009, the second in September 2012), and none appears in any of my two game-day shots. A spokesman at the college that I contacted said that as far he knows, the mascot does not have a name.
WABASH COLLEGE
Wally Wabash is the mascot of the Little Giants, and I came across him at both of my visits to Wabash, in November 2011 versus Wittenberg University and in November 2012 for the 119th edition of the Wabash-DePauw annual rivalry today known as the Monon Bell Classic.
Most of my shots of Wally came during during halftime of the 2012:game, when he stood observing exercise and hijinx routines by members of the school’s Sphinx Club, who are conspicuous by their "uniforms" of red and white overhauls. Wally’s garb picks up on that style trend; he sports the overhauls, too.
Further down in this chapter, you'll have a chance to follow a link to read an interesting story about the Manchester University mascot. Wabash College has
a page at its website that talks about Wally's history that you might find of interest, too. Just follow the link in the previous sentence.
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
The name of DePauw University’s mascot is Tyler the Tiger. It’s been more than 12 years since I was on the DePauw campus, so I don’t remember why Tyler didn't get into more of my images, but I did get the one below, so I guess it's better than nothing at all.
MARIAN UNIVERSITY
Knightro is the name of the knight who serves as the mascot for Marian University.
I came across Knightro in November 2011 when I photographed a first-round NAIA postseason tournament football game. Knightro came onto the field for the halftime performance of the Marian University Marching Band.
Although I had to wonder if Knightro thought he was the band's conductor at times, I'm sure his “pretend” conductorship was all part of the wholesome entertainment of the halftime show. You’ll see more of the marching band in the final chapter.
TAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The photo of the Taylor Trojan mascot above is another that I did not take. This image comes from a university web page.
In a side note, while researching whether the Trojan has a name (I could not find one), I did learn that the university athletics department has adopted a new branding logo (shown below) since I visited the school for a football game in October 2012.
UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
Meet Grady the Greyhound, the mascot of the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds. He made a point to get around on the night of my visit in November 2012. He mingled with fans during pregame activities and tailgating, and he stopped to pose for pictures.
Then, in a massive cloud of smoke, he led Greyhound players onto the field before the opening kickoff … and joined the team in a huddle at the conclusion of the game.
UNIVERSITY OF ST. FRANCIS (FORT WAYNE)
The picture above is the only shot I got of Johnny Cougar, the mascot of the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne.
ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
I never saw a Puma mascot while I was at St. Joseph's College in September 2013, but I did see the fellow below in a Blue Man-esque face-covered outfit standing alongside the entrance chute as the Pumas football team prepared to run onto the field, so I made a point to get these couple of pictures.
His attire was in one of the Pumas’ primary team colors (which is an unusual mix of purple and cardinal, I thought. I suppose it gave the school lots of brand merchandising options.).
ROSE-HULMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
It seems appropriate that the Rose-Hulman mascot's name is Rosie, but I didn't understand why the school chose the elephant to be its mascot until I did some research while preparing this series.
The school says at its website that the exact and/or official story behind selecting an elephant is long forgotten; it has been the mascot for more than a century, and apparently no one ever recorded the origin story. But Rose-Hulman's website said the elephant symbolizes the determination, strength and courage of Rose-Hulman athletics teams.
I made several photos of Rosie at work during the football game that I photographed at Rose-Hulman in September 2013, including a quick shot of the man inside the Rosie outfit when he ducked out of the public eye to cool off on a hot afternoon.
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY
If there is one place where stories about the mascot are
really a good story, Manchester University is the place.
When I visited the school in September 2014, the school had just introduced Spartacus as the new mascot, replacing (or succeeding?) Sammy (or Sami, or Sammie, depending on which spelling variation I’d seen is most authentic). At some point in the very recent past — since I visited the campus — Spartacus must have called it a career. The name of the current-day mascot is Manny.
According to a page on the university’s website, the school mascot is a sort of generational story, told as if the role of serving as mascot has been handed down by members of the same family. Whether true or fable, I'm not sure. But if you want to check out this explanation yourself,
follow the link in this sentence.
Spartacus was in good form when I was at the game in 2014. He posed for pictures with cheerleaders, schmoozed with fans seated in lawn chairs in open green spaces around the field and near concession stands, and he chummed with spectators in the grandstands.
I also got pictures of a gentleman at his seat in the stands who was decked out in what appeared to be ancient Spartan garb. Apparently being a Spartan is a real thing in North Manchester … and/or they need more than an on-field mascot to inspire the home team and crowd!
TRINE UNIVERSITY
In all my pictures taken at Trine University in October 2015, I found just one that contained Storm, the white tiger mascot for the Thunder. I present that image below. He happens to be in the same frame as then-University President Earl D. Brooks II (center of photo).
But I also came across a statue of Storm on campus (second photo below), although today I don't recall exactly where it was.
EARLHAM COLLEGE
The mascot above (a photo from the college's website pages) goes by the name of Big Earl. And like mentioned in the blurb for Taylor University above, Earlham in recent years has updated its school logo (brand). That logo, which incorporates a gold star as a focal point, is shown below.
According to a Richmond
Palladium-Item newspaper story about the brand/logo change, the school says the star is intended to represent the inner light that Quakers believe is in every individual.
“We believe that the inner light is vital to every success that we have in and out of competition, and we are thrilled to have a new visual identity that highlights this theme,” said Jonathan Graham, the school’s associate vice president for marketing and communications.
ANDERSON UNIVERSITY
The Anderson University raven mascot above, as it appeared on a page at the school's website, goes by the name Rodney. I did not see Rodney when I visited the school for a football game in September 2016.
Next up: Chapter 13, Taylor University vs. Saint Xavier (Ill.) University, Oct. 2012
Previously in Game Day Revisited:
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