“What it was, was Football”* 

It is widely accepted that the first football game was played between Rutgers University and Princeton University in 1869. If you watched a replay of this game today, it would bear little resemblance to what we see as American Football. It was an adaptation of a game similar to soccer that was brought over from England. Imagine two teams of 25 players squaring off on a field 140 yards long and 70 yards wide and the ball was round. 

The game was popularized by universities in what we refer to today as “the Ivy League.” It was rough and tumble and downright brutal, and when your team traveled to play on another’s home field, you were playing by their rules and code, which could be markedly different from your own.  

Football rules gradually evolved from a soccer-like game to one that embraced some of the principles of rugby to a game that looks more like what we see today. The forward pass, a staple of today’s game and one of its most exciting plays, wasn’t legal until 1906 even though it was attempted several times before being codified in the rules. There was another rule change in 1951 that clarified who was actually eligible to receive a forward pass (wide receivers and tight ends, and when identified, tackles) and who could throw one and from where. Up until then, it looks like almost anyone could catch a pass – talk about pandemonium with lots of headaches for the defensive coaches to figure out coverage for that! 

*This is the name of a comedy routine performed by Andy Griffith. If you haven’t ever heard it (or even if you have), we recommend setting aside about seven minutes to enjoy it HERE. 

Why Conferences?  

Now that we’re basically up to date on the rules, let’s take a look at another hot topic of discussion – conferences. It’s hard to keep up with what conference your favorite college team is a member of with all shake ups, exits, and “in-xits.” To avoid a wrasslin’ match over what conference is better and the benefits of having an All-America Conference featuring all 893 collegiate football teams, we’re just going to address why conferences were formed in the first place.  

Here's the bottom line… It just made sense. Schools needed to have other schools to play, and without conferences it was difficult to line up opponents. Successful conferences were formed by regional schools – some were similar in size or of interest. Conferences were also useful in creating rivalries to increase attendance and to allow fans of both teams to easily travel to many games.  

One of the first “super conferences” is the Southern Conference, which was established in 1921. The SoCon maintains its original name, but many of its founding institutions have cycled in and out.  It gave birth to the powerhouse Southeastern Conference in 1932 when 13 of the 23 members decided it was too unwieldy to figure out a schedule with so many other teams. It was also home to many teams that are now a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference, including Duke, Clemson, UNC, NC State, and Virginia.

Who’s Your Mascot?  

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a mascot is “a person, animal, or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure especially to bring them good luck.” The word comes from Medieval Latin masca, meaning “witch.”  

“Why even have a mascot?” Well, we think the rationale rests soundly on the derivation of the word. If you can have a witch whispering incantations to make a rival’s placekicker miss a field goal, how many more reasons do you need? 

OK, that’s not the only reason. Clearly, there are others that may not be quite as important at the moment but may, in the long run, be more impactful. A mascot is the personification of the organization or school. A rallying point. They become the recognizable symbol of your school and increase awareness and engagement both on campus and in the community. They provide entertainment and help gin up enthusiasm and support for the team.  

Many of the first mascots were real animals, especially ones that could be ferocious and feared. The oldest mascot in the collegiate ranks is Handsome Dan, an English bulldog, who was adopted as the Yale University mascot in 1889. 

How mascots are chosen for different schools and their backstory is an interesting subject. Here’s the Cliffs Notes version for a few of our local schools. 

Appalachian State University – Yosef is the Mountaineers’ mascot. The name springs from “mountain talk” for “yourself.” He first appeared in the 1942 edition of the Rhododendron, the university’s yearbook, with a hand-drawn photo in the Freshmen section. He was Dan’l Boone Yoseff from Appalachian. Yosef is a “perennial freshman.” He was first portrayed as the mascot in 1949 by John Geffrich, a 48-year-old WWII veteran. It wasn’t until the 1983-84 academic year that Yosef got a makeover as a “bigger than life” being. 

Clemson University – Surprisingly, Clemson’s story is short and to the point. Football coach Walter Riggs always admired the Princeton Tigers, so when he came to the university as its football coach in 1896, he gave the team the “Tigers” name. And the mascot is known simply as “The Tiger.” ‘nuff said.  

University of North Carolina in Asheville – UNC-A’s mascot has always been the bulldog (since 1930) – sometimes a real bulldog, like Puck, an English Classic, who came to campus in 1948 to Chug-a-lug, who was the lovable mascot in 1966. The name Rocky was first mentioned in The Blue Banner, the university’s newspaper, in 1996, when he appeared larger than life. Legend has it that freshmen should pat the head of Rocky’s statue when they arrive on campus and any student can gain some luck on an exam by doing the same. 

Western Carolina University – Early in the 20th century, WCU called Western Carolina Teachers College, and their athletic teams were known as the Teachers. In 1933, the school engaged in a contest to re-brand its nickname. Everyone wanted an unusual name, and many were suggested. It finally came down to Mountain Boomers, a small ground squirrel that is very difficult to catch, and Catamounts, which have lightning quick moves, a fierce spirit, and make savage attacks, and they are native to the mountains. The latter was the favorite of football coach C. C. Poindexter and became the chosen name. Paws the Catamount can be seen prowling the sidelines at games and events throughout the community. 

Wake Forest University – The university was originally associated with the Baptist Convention, so it makes sense that its sports teams were known as the Fighting Baptists. After a big win over in-state rival Duke University in 1923, a sportswriter characterized the team’s play as “like demons.” The Demon Deacons nickname caught on. By the way, a deacon is a lay leader in a Baptist church.  

Winston-Salem State University – The Ram is celebrated as WSSU’s mascot since 1932, but it wasn’t until 1978 that the Ram was given a name. As a part of Homecoming Week, the athletic committee sponsored a contest to “Name the Ram.” More than 50 entries were fielded, and the contest committee settled on the name Amon “because of its originality and meaning.” Amon is a West African deity, which is “all powerful” and is considered to be the god of mankind’s welfare. Amon is represented historically by a ram.  

Salem College – Established by the Moravians in 1772 as a primary school, Salem College is the oldest women’s college in the Southern United States. Salem’s athletic teams compete under the nickname The Spirits.  

University of South Carolina – The U of SC is known far and wide as the Gamecocks. A fighting rooster is fierce and skilled when facing off with an opponent, and it has been the official symbol of the university since 1902. But there wasn’t an official mascot until 1971 – fans would dress up in their own costumes for the game. An undergraduate biology student donned a Gamecock costume, known as The Rooster and made by his mother, to attend basketball and football games.  

The Rooster grew into Big Spur, a gangly barnyard rooster that was introduced by a pledge class. While impressive, Big Spur had its faults – it wasn’t easy to move in and it was just plain, ol big. So, Cocky, the son of Big Spur was introduced. And as Keith Jackson would say, “Whoa, Nellie!” That didn’t go over too well. The crowd booed Cocky off the field because his affable demeanor just wasn’t “dignified enough.”  

With persistence, Cocky, the costumed mascot, has grown into one of the most recognized and beloved mascots in the United States and often represents the State of South Carolina as its Goodwill Ambassador.  

Furman University – All we can say is we’re “AllDin” on this one. They say that you can’t tell the players without a program, but before 1961, you would need a cheat sheet, too, to be able to remember the name for Furman’s teams. The football team was known as the Purple Hurricanes in the 1920s; the basketball team was the Paladins, the baseball team was known as the Hornets, and the track team was called the Harriers. Whew! What would we be looking at if you added in lacrosse, wrestling, and soccer?  

In 1961, the presidents of the Pep Club and the student body, along with the head cheerleader at Furman, submitted a proposal to the students via a campus poll to determine what name they preferred for their sports team. The results revealed Paladins as the favored moniker for those wearing purple and white. The Paladin is a knight in Charlemagne’s Court. These knights were men of outstanding courage, daring, and character. 

Columbia College – Founded in 1854, Columbia College is one of the oldest women’s colleges in the United States. The school was without a mascot until the 1970s when students came together to select a representative. The choices were The Koalas or the Crickets. CeCe the Koala won by a landslide. How could it be anything else? 

Virginia Tech – The HokieBird is born of its own mythology. So, what is it? A maroon and orange turkey, of course. It’s very rare, and here’s how it got its name. In 1986, the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College changed its name to the Virginia Polytechnical Institute, or V.P.I. That warranted a new school chant. O.M. Stull won the student contest with his cheer, “Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy; Techs! Techs! V.P.I.” While there is no meaning to the word “Hoki,” it did garner enough attention to win and to stick around.  

Around the same time, the term “Gobblers” surfaced as a nickname. Some claim that was associated with Virginia Tech’s athletes because they could gobble up their food faster than other students. No one really knows for sure, but it did lead to VaTech’s first mascot… A REAL turkey! In 1913. As with everything, certain trends ebb and flow and the Hokies fell out of favor, so Gobbler it was until 1978 when Bill Dooley arrived as head football coach and athletic director. He didn’t like the image the “gobbler” put on the team’s eating habits, so he removed the gobbling sound from the scoreboard and went back to the original nickname, “the Hokies.” 

Roanoke College – Roanoke College just recently selected its mascot – and a rare breed it is: A Maroon-tailed hawk. A classic bird of prey and physically powerful, a hawk can attain speeds up to 150 miles per hour when diving toward prey. The hawk was selected from more than 350 mascot suggestions. The teams’ names remain The Maroons and the mascot’s name is Rooney. 

University of Tennessee – The Volunteers draw their nickname from a group of Tennessee men mustered by local legend Davy Crockett to stand against Santa Ana at the Alamo. The school’s mascot was determined in 1953 when Rev. Bill Brooks entered his prize-winning bluetick coonhound in the mascot competition. When he was introduced and brought up on the cheerleader ramp, Blue Smokey barked and howled to the crowd’s delight. The live mascot Smokey has been recognized as one of the top live mascots in the country.  

Costumed Smokey appeared in the 1980s and wasn’t readily embraced, but the crowd soon warmed up to him. Smokey has a female counterpart and also a kiddie mascot, Junior Smokey, who typically wears the jersey number ½. Junior Smokey was named Mascot of the Year at the World Dog Awards in Los Angeles in 2015.  

Lincoln Memorial University – Founded in 1897 in Harrogate, Tennessee as a living memorial to Abraham Lincoln, this private university chose its mascot… Abraham Lincoln. But not as we might remember him best, LMU’s nickname is the Railsplitters and is taken from the time of Lincoln’s youth when he did spend time on the farm splitting rails. It helped with his appeal to voters who shared a similar belief in the value of hard work and self-reliance. 

Wearing your favorite team’s colors and mascot likeness is a source of pride and community. Cheer hard for your team and respect the worthiness of your opponent. Go team!