ANN ARBOR, MI – Mascots are part of college football lore, from the Notre Dame Leprechaun to the Stanford Tree to Michigan State’s Sparty.
Among the most iconic mascots is Brutus Buckeye, an anthropomorphic nut from Ohio’s state tree. Brutus has roamed Ohio State’s sideline since 1965, turning from little more than a giant head with legs to a full-sized human with a giant head.
Michigan, meanwhile, has resisted the mascot craze for the better part of the program’s 144-year history.
There have been a number of unofficial mascots in Wolverine history, from live animals to student-run efforts. But the lack of someone in a kid-friendly costume on football Saturdays is part of Michigan’s tradition, said Greg Dooley, who teaches a University of Michigan course on its athletics history.
“I make a list of traditions (and) the only thing (regarding mascots) that’s on there is the fact that we don’t have a mascot,” he said. “That to me is a tradition.”
No. 3 Michigan hosts No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 25, for a Big Ten Championship Game berth, as well as a possible spot in the College Football Playoff. The last few weeks of scandal surrounding Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing adds even more animus to the already angst-filled rivalry.
Read more Michigan-Ohio State: Revisiting Michigan’s last two wins vs. Ohio State: What were the keys?
Why wolverines?
There are a few theories as to why Michigan chose that nickname, from the state’s fur trading history, to 1800s settlers in the region having “wolverine-like” appetites, to Michiganders having the animal’s “tenacity and strength,” according to the university.
But Wolverines weren’t the live animals highlighted and put on display in the earlier years of the University of Michigan football program.
There was a 1907 husky handled by team captain Paul Magoffin literally named “Mascot.” There was also a white dog shown with Coach Fielding Yost in the 1910 team picture, likely a shot at Notre Dame coach Shorty Longman, who paraded his white dog Mike after the Irish beat the Wolverines for the first time in 1909.
Yost, UM athletic director from 1921-40, continued the live animal trend, however, did bring a trio of real wolverines to the program in the 1920s and ‘30s. He was inspired by the University of Wisconsin’s live badger, Dooley said, so he called for trappers to get wolverines Bennie and Biff to show off at the 1927 Michigan Stadium dedication.
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