Name-a-Day Calendar, November 30: Binghamton Bearcats
Page 24 of 365
Chosen in: 1999
Chosen by: The athletics department
When what is now Binghamton University was founded as Triple Cities College in 1946, its first sports teams were known as the Colonials. They kept this moniker for over half a century as they played in the lower divisions of the NCAA, but in the late ‘90s, they decided they wanted to shift up from Division III to Division I.
Jumping straight from Division III to Division I like St. Thomas did last year is incredibly uncommon; most teams spend a few transitional years in Division II first and that’s what Binghamton did from 1998-2001. During those transitional years, the athletics department decided they wanted a new, more modern athletic identity that was “gender-neutral, powerful, and dignified”. They decided on “Bearcats” and made the switch in 1999.
While they had previously always been known as the Colonials, Binghamton’s mascots during that era ranged from colonials to chicken costumes and even live burros. Read more about the dynamic history of Binghamton mascots here.
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