Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! And dogs and hawks and eagles and pigs and goats and of course cows. Live mascots are one of college football’s most unique traditions. There is no other sport anywhere in the world where live mascots are common. Many schools, including the University of Texas, have live animals their care for all year just to walk around at six home football games a year.
Mascots were big news for Texas in its first year in the SEC. There was a lot of anticipation for Bevo and UGA (the Georgia mascot) to meet again. The two had an infamous meeting at the 2019 Sugar Bowl when Bevo almost gored Georgia’s famous bulldog. But the UGA handlers nixed a reunion at the midseason game in Austin because of travel logistics. Instead of a reunion, Uga’s handlers decided the logistics of getting the bulldog to Austin were too much of a strain.
Then, Bevo was banned from the SEC championship game in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. Longhorns fans were so upset they started a petition drive. Bevo was prohibited again from the sidelines in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. But the famous steer was allowed on the sidelines for the Cotton Bowl in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, despite protests from PETA.
There was also a huge controversy in Louisiana involving LSU’s live mascot. LSU stopped taking Mike the Tiger to games on the advice of the university veterinarians in 2016. Mike VII lives in a 15,000-square-foot enclosure near the stadium.
But Louisiana governor Jeff Landry and the LSU Tigers coordinated to bring a live tiger back into Tiger Stadium for their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in November. Another tiger named “Omar Bradley” was brought in from Florida. When the cage was revealed to the crowd, many believed the tiger looked in emotional distress.
For his part, Landry thought it was a huge success. “I said, ‘You know what? We’re going to bring that back.’ Alabama’s got — we don’t have a good record against Alabama in Tiger Stadium. I think they’re like, 22-4 against LSU in Death Valley? But I’m 1-0 against PETA. So, I’ll take that,” Landry told Pat McAfee, regarding the choice.
Here are our rankings of the 10 SEC live mascots:
10. Reveille X: Collie – Texas A&M Aggies
Reveille is the highest-ranking member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.
Let that sink in. She’s not a mascot. She’s their leader.
Also called the First Lady of Aggieland, “Miss Rev” dates to 1931. Reveille III was the first collie.
When they die, the Reveilles are buried in a special cemetery near Kyle Field. The bodies are laid facing the south end zone and the scoreboard. After a Kyle Field expansion blocked the view, a small scoreboard was placed outside the stadium so the dogs can still “see” the score.
Now let that sink in.
Reveille VI was kidnapped in 1993 by a group of University of Texas students. For almost a week, Texas A&M denied the mascot had been stolen. After the school finally acknowledged her disappearance and released a statement about possible felony charges for the culprits, Reveille was found tied to a sign post near Lake Travis. She was returned unharmed to Texas A&M and resumed her duties running the Corps.
9. Mike VII: Bengal Tiger – LSU Tigers
Mike is a live tiger that lives on campus. Dating to 1934, Mike has been a proud symbol at LSU.
Mike III was the last tiger LSU officially owned. Since then, LSU provides “a home for a tiger that needs one” and hopes to raise awareness about irresponsible breeding and the plight of tigers kept illegally and/or inappropriately in captivity in the U.S.
In 2005, a $3.7 million 15,000-square foot environment was created near the stadium that has plants, a live oak tree, waterfall and stream with a rocky backdrop. The habitat and care plan are licensed and annually inspected annually by the USDA.
You can even watch Mike’s enclosure on a YouTube live stream.
The political controversy has dampened some enthusiasm for Mike. Especially since it wasn’t even Mike that was brought onto the field for the Alabama game. It was a ringer.
8. Tusk VI: Russian boar – Arkansas Razorbacks
Tusk is a Russian boar that goes to home games in both Fayetteville and Little Rock and a few road games. The Hog resides in a 9,000-square-foot indoor facility and a 7,000-square-foot fenced outdoor area just outside Dardanelle, Arkansas.
Dating to 1997, Tusk weighs about 475 pounds. Tusk has been trained to give people kisses. So fans get to kiss a pig.
7. Sooner Schooner: Covered Wagon – Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooner Schooner is OU’s official mascot. It is a scaled-down replica of a Studebaker Conestoga covered-wagon commonly used by settlers around the time of the 1889 Land Run. It is considered the first mobile home.
The wagon is pulled by two white ponies named “Boomer” and “Sooner”. It’s a good bit and certainly creates a one-of-a-kind spectacle.
It could be higher on the list, but it doesn’t handle turns very well.
6. Sir Big Spur VII: Rooster – South Carolina Gamecocks
Sir Big Spur is an Old English Black Breasted Red Fighting Gamecock. He is one of the only live mascots that goes to every game, home and away. He resides on a farm near Edgefield, South Carolina, that is owned by an alumni family.
Originally called “Cocky Doodle Lou,” the gamecock first appeared at a baseball game in 1999 and at a football game in 2006.
5. Bully XXII: English Bulldog – Mississippi State Bulldogs
The SEC loves dogs! Bully is another English Bulldog. There have been 22 dogs to serve as Bully. Bully is bestowed its status in a ceremony called Passing of the Harness, typically held during Super Bulldog Weekend.
The live mascot dates to 1935. Sadly, Bully I (named Ptolemy and retroactively called “Bully 1”) was struck and killed by a campus bus. The funeral for Bully was so elaborate, with a procession that stretched a half mile, that it was covered by LIFE magazine.
4. UGA XI: English Bulldog – Georgia Bulldogs
Beloved by many, despised by Bevo, Uga is the longtime mascot at Georgia. It dates to 1956 with Uga 1 when Sonny Seiler (a Savannah-based attorney featured in the true crime novel “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”) brought his family bulldog to a game. Coach Wally Butts asked Seiler if the school could use the dog as its mascot going forward.
Georgia is the only major college that buries its mascots at the stadium. The mascot’s jerseys are custom-made at the beginning of each season from the same material used for the players’ jerseys. Uga’s on-field home is an air conditioned doghouse located next to the cheerleaders’ platform.
If Uga still traveled, he would be higher on the list. But based on precedent set last year, Uga will mostly a home dog. He also bites.
3. Smokey XI: Bluetick Coonhound – Tennessee Volunteers
I know most rank UGA as the best dog in the SEC, but look that face! Smokey dates to 1953, when the UT Pep Club decided to use a hound as the mascot for the Volunteers, narrowly besting the Tennessee Walking Horse.
The Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity is in charge of handling Smokey at all of his appearances.
In 2019, Smokey XI was on hand to see Gov. Bill Lee sign a ceremonial bill at the State Capitol making the bluetick coonhound the official dog breed of the state of Tennessee.
2. War Eagle VIII: Golden eagle – Auburn Tigers
The War Eagle bit is very cool. Before Auburn home games, and eagle flies out of a cage in the upper deck and lands in the middle of the field while the crowd yells, “War Eagle.”
Goosebumps.
Auburn’s first live eagle mascot came in 1930 and was actually War Eagle II (War Eagle I was just a story). Beginning in 1960 with War Eagle III, the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity was charged with the bird’s care. In 2000, care of War Eagle VI was turned over to the Auburn University Raptor Center.
1. Bevo XV: Longhorn Steer – Texas Longhorns
Who else could be No. 1?
Weighing just shy of a ton with a horn span of about seven feet tip to tip, Bevo has been the mascot at the University of Texas for a century.
Bevo’s official handlers are the Silver Spurs, a spirit organization made up of mostly fraternity members. Bevo XV is owned by Betty and John Baker’s Sunrise Ranch in Liberty Hill, Texas. The Ranch also owned predecessors Bevo XIII and Bevo XIV.
If you don’t believe Bevo is the new king of mascots in the SEC, just ask Uga.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Who has the best live mascot in the SEC? We rank all 10
Reporting by Trey Luerssen, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
