What makes a mascot great? Is it the antics? Or the rich history? Maybe they have a witty name or an exceptional appearance. Some schools have live animals and others have the costumed variety, while others have neither and a handful manage to have both.
Now, my only regret about attempting this list of great school mascots is that I can't show you pictures or videos of the costumes, but use your imagination or - better yet - Google. It's just that March Madness has gotten me on such a college sports high that I couldn't help but roll with this idea the second it popped into my head. There's no order here, just the dozen I felt were worthy of praise.
Minnesota Golden Gophers: The Golden Gophers' "Goldy Gopher" (admittedly not the most creative name) is the defending UCA Mascot National Champion. So basically, in the most official way possible, he is flat-out the best mascot of 2013.
Villanova Wildcats: Our next mascot claws his way onto this list based solely on his name. However, the Wildcats' "Will D. Cat" has other admirable qualities besides his very punny name, like a viciously detailed set of fangs which strike real fear - that is until you get lost in the bluest eyes this side of the Delaware River.
Michigan State Spartans: The movie 300 leaves a lot to be desired if the Spartans' "Sparty" was who you were expecting to see fighting Persians on the big screen. Getting past his chiseled physique is a tough task, but other qualifiers include his immense popularity nationwide: In 2009, "Sparty" was the first non-athlete to make the cover of EA Sports' NCAA Football video game when he appeared on the front of the Nintendo Wii version.
Florida Gators: Albert, aka "Al E. Gator," has been king of "The Swamp" for over 40 years now. He was joined by "Alberta Gator" in 1984 and the pair has remained as one of the few successful mascot duos in college sports.
Miami Hurricanes: "Sebastian the Ibis" is a South Florida staple, plain and simple. His patented "C-A-N-E-S, Canes!" jig and chant fires up crowds and his beak-split move forces smiles out of even the biggest haters. The ibis is said to be the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane strikes.
Florida State Seminoles: "Chief Osceola" does not bring a fancy bodysuit to the costume party, but is instead decked out in full Native American gear, complete with face paint, weaponry and horse (named "Renegade"). Before every home game he rides out and thrusts a burning spear into the center of the field, "firing" up the FSU faithful.
Oregon Ducks: Don't be fooled by his name, "Puddles" is a badass. He is the originator and acclaimed performer of the post-score push-up celebration where he does one push-up for every point Oregon has scored in the game. He is (in)famous for attacking an opposing team's mascot for allegedly copying the routine.
Wisconsin Badgers: Now he may not be the originator, but "Bucky Badger" did 83 pushups in a game against Indiana. He and "Goldy Gopher" have a history of staged fights.
Ohio State Buckeyes: He is a nut ... literally.
Louisiana State Tigers: The live "Mike the Tiger" has gone through six incarnations now, but LSU has a costumed version of "Mike" to back up the real thing. Don't feel bad for the real "Mike" though. He lives in a comfortable $3 million on-campus facility. Baller.
Saint Louis Billikens: The only completely imaginary college mascot that I know of is the Billiken. Its creator apparently saw the creature in a dream and began selling its likeness in the form of charm dolls. However, no one knows if this is actually true, nor is it known exactly how the being was inducted as the university's mascot.
Mercer Bears: "Toby Bear" was the number-one qualifier for the NCA National Collegiate Mascot competition in the Spring of 2012.
*I have to give an honorable mention to Jumbo. We all know why he's awesome, though.
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G.J. Vitale is a junior majoring in biology-psychology and English. He can be reached at Gregory.Vitale@tufts.edu.
