My wife is an alumnus of Bradley University, so we got an e-mail today announcing that, while Bradley will be keeping the name Braves, they apparently are considering ousting the Bobcat mascot in favor of a new one:
[T]he University is currently considering developing a mascot to accompany the Bradley Braves name. A mascot and associated athletic logo may enable the University to better capilitize on the University’s strategic marketing capabilities.
Bradley President David Broski has appointed a mascot selection committee to solicit ideas for a Bradley Braves mascot from students, faculty, alumni, and the community.
The committee has established two requirements: the new mascot:
- must equally represent both genders and
- must not have any Native American representation. Ideally, the Braves’ mascot would be representative of Bradley University’s and the region’s history or tradition; original (not used by many schools); visually aggressive but not frightening; and compatible with the university’s colors of red and white.
The time has come to ramp up the campaign again for the perfect BU mascot:
Picture credit: Peoria Pundit
Isn’t there a “red squirrel” in the species?
And FYI – there are many on campus who regard the squirrel idea with affection (?), humor (?), both.
I really like your graphic, though, CJ!
Heck, Stanford has that tree. Minnesota has the gopher (I think). Demon Deacons. Green Wave. Red Tide. Billekins (sp?) There are some funky names out there. I see no problem whatsoever with squirrels. And some of them squirrels on campus are damn smart and crafty!
The graphic is from Billy Dennis’s site. I failed to credit him when I first posted this entry. Sorry about that.
That’s cool, B.J.
Funny thing, I got it was Chase Ingersoll. I am absolutely positive he won’t mind it appearing somewhere else, though.
We will soon be able to call them the Bradley Armadillos, if they continue to travel north due to global warming.
All I can say is, whatever the choice, keep better tabs on the costume.
The real reason Bradley did away with the bobcat was that the head kept getting stolen. I don’t think it was ever recovered.
But they won’t tell you that….
I think the perfect mascot for Bradley is a demolition man. He could finish a game, then head over to knock a house or two down.
CGiselle12 … it’s Billiken – the elven* Buddha, spirit of good luck, god of the way you’d like things to be. Don’t touch my Billiken.
* Could also be Vulcan, depending on your preferred nerd genre, D&D vs. Star Trek. I’m torn.
Sorry C.J. … don’t kick me out for idolatry.
Knight, whenever I see “elven,” I always think of the Lord of the Rings.
Hey, Bradley could capitalize on the whole LOR craze and change their mascot to an orc! Or a dwarf! Hmmm, maybe not a dwarf … that would present it’s own PC conundrums.
I have always thought we should have the mascot be a lesbian seagull.