Name-a-Day Calendar, November 11: Alabama A&M Bulldogs
Page 5 of 365
Chosen in: 1926
Chosen by: Student W. H. Stickney via student body vote
Athletics at what was then the Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes began in the early 1910s with the foundation of baseball and football programs. It was a rather low-key operation: one person, George A. Harney, was initially staffed with coaching and putting together schedules for both teams. He was also a student-athlete on both teams.
I say all that to say that choosing a nickname and mascot was likely pretty low on the list of priorities for the athletic department in its early days. It wasn’t until Theophilus Robert Parker took over as president of the school in 1920 that athletics became more of a focus and the athletic department expanded to include more faculty and students.
Near the end of Parker’s six-year tenure, one of those students — W. H. Stickney — suggested that the school should officialize a mascot; his suggestion was “Bulldogs”. On October 15, 1926, it was taken to a student body vote, which it passed unanimously.1
Read about Alabama A&M’s current bulldog mascot Butch here.
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P.S. Special thanks to Veronica Henderson, the Digital Collections and Scholarship Librarian at Alabama A&M, for pointing me in the direction of most of the information for today’s entry.
The school colors of maroon and white were also christened on this day. That vote was suggested by James Cobb.