Name-a-Day Calendar, July 30: South Carolina State Bulldogs
Page 266 of 365
Chosen in: 1927
Chosen by: Student body vote
What is now South Carolina State University was originally founded in 1896 as the Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina. This HBCU began playing football in 1909, but the team didn’t really become a permanent fixture until the 1920s.
Once that happened, students started clamoring for a mascot, so The Collegian student newspaper ran a poll to select one. It’s unclear exactly how the nominees were selected, but students could vote for one of the following: bear, bulldogs, greyhound, lion, tiger, or wildcat.
The bulldog won this vote and has been the school mascot ever since, with all men’s sports teams being known as the Bulldogs (and women’s sports teams being known, in antiquated fashion, as the Lady Bulldogs). When the school became South Carolina State College in 1954,1 we officially got the “South Carolina State Bulldogs”.
South Carolina State’s costumed bulldog mascot is named Spike. He’s probably a better dancer than you.
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Gained university status in 1992