Who needs a tiger, a bear, or a gator? Tufts has the almighty Jumbo, whose name comes from "jumbe," the Swahili word for "chief."
In previous issues of The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, Tufts was listed as having one of the most distinctive college mascots in the nation. Although Jumbo the elephant may not be as ferocious or threatening as other school mascots, Jumbo is indeed unique, and Jumbo pride is far-reaching at Tufts. Both athletes and non-athletes at the University exhibit pride in their school's mascot and incorporate Jumbo into their own identities.
Jumbo is as important both to students' collective identity at Tufts as it is to Tufts' reputation on the sports circuit. The Jumbo symbol, a gray elephant, is everywhere: on students' clothing, hats, sports uniforms, and accessories.
The fact that Jumbo is not a typical mascot is a positive quality, according to a number of students. Many students recognize Jumbo as a unique University feature, concluding that Jumbo's individuality strengthens school spirit and stirs student support. "Because Jumbo is a peculiar mascot, it distinguishes us from other schools," sophomore Pax Sinsangkeo said. "It doesn't matter if an elephant is ferocious or not, so long as our school spirit is still strong."
Sports teams wear uniforms that are very Jumbo-oriented. Their brown and blue uniforms represent the school colors, and the elephant is located prominently on many teams' warm-up outfits.
No individual athlete has ever made a negative remark toward Jumbo as a mascot, according to Athletic Director Bill Gehling. "Clearly there is a history behind Jumbo. Jumbo was heroic in his own right: he took one for the team in the ultimate way. To me, Jumbo is a great mascot," Gehling said. He acknowledges, "students are less satisfied with Tufts colors, but there is something to be said for tradition."
Junior Joseph Coletti, goalie of the men's soccer team, recognizes that though elephants may not seem fierce, they have strength and staying power. "A Jumbo may not strike fear into many of our opponents, but once they see our grotesque brown warm-ups, they definitely are afraid," Coletti said. "Jumbos are more dangerous in a group, stampeding over other animals, so we are more ferocious than meets the eye."
Though Jumbo is often the butt of jokes for a number of other universities, Junior Benjamin Crapser, goalie of the ice hockey team, says that he is proud to be a Jumbo. "Once during a game, the opponents threw mice on the ice, and started chanting 'mice on the ice!' in an attempt to mock our mascot, the Jumbos, because elephants are afraid of mice. That only made us angry and more determined to win, because regardless of how [non-intimidating] elephants may seem, Jumbo is our mascot, and we take pride in that."
Several other schools in the University's athletic have interesting mascots as well. Such mascots include Williams' Purple Cows, Amherst's Lord Jeffs, and the Brandeis owl but none of these, students say, compare to the character and stature of Jumbo.
Megan McCourt, sophomore goalie of the women's soccer team, honors Jumbo's past. "When you know the history of Tufts, there's a lot of pride," McCourt said. "Our team in particular has a lot of pride in being Jumbos. Besides, it's better than being the 'Purple Cows'."
Jumbo's legendary past gives meaning to his role as a mascot. Jumbo was a male African elephant owned by Tufts benefactor P.T. Barnum. Barnum purchased the elephant from the London Zoo and brought him to America in 1882. Jumbo was a huge attraction as part of Barnum's famous circus, but was hit by a train and killed in 1885.
After Jumbo's tragic death, Barnum embarked on a lucrative tour featuring a taxidermied Jumbo. After the four-year tour, Barnum donated Jumbo to the University, and the elephant was adopted as its mascot. A 1975 fire in Barnum Hall, where Jumbo was housed, however, left only Jumbo's tusk intact. Now, a larger-than-life statue of Jumbo II stands in front of Barnum, reminding current students of his legacy.
Freshmen are becoming acquainted with Tufts' mascot and its symbolic representation of the University. "When I first came to Tufts I was excited about Jumbo," freshman Kristen Highland said. "Although he may not be a traditional mascot, he's a fun one, and he has a lot of spirit and tradition. It seemed like all of the students knew the story and were proud to be Jumbos, so I was excited and proud to be one too." Collectively identifying Jumbo as the University's mascot is an immediate and concrete way for new students to link themselves to the school.
"I came from a school where we had a penguin as a mascot, so when I heard Tufts' mascot was an elephant, I thought that was at least better!" freshman Meghan Wallach said. "I didn't understand the whole "Jumbo" tradition until I got here, though. I really like the whole story that's behind it." Wallach, a member of the swimming team, acknowledges Jumbo as a reputable symbol for Tufts' sports teams: "In terms of having Jumbo as a mascot for sports, I think that even though Jumbo isn't ferocious like a wildcat, it is still definitely respectable for different reasons," Wallach said.
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