College Mascots
By Dani Tifft
 March
2004 - With the NCAA basketball championships upon us, coaches and
players are being featured in news stories across the country. However,
there is one figure in college sports that is often overlooked but always
celebrated — the mascot. And Worcester has a lineup of fun creatures
and caricatures, ranging from the historically relevant to beheaded farm
animals.
Knights of the playing field — Worcester State
College Athletics’ Department boasts a proud mascot — the
Lancer, which closely resembles the Holy Cross Crusader. Coincidence?
The original Lancer logo looked so similar to the Crusader that, in the
1960s, members of the Worcester State Athletics staff worked together
to add a lance, distinguishing it from the neighboring institution. Although
no costume is worn at games at either institution (sources at Holy Cross
claim that their missed icon is “on vacation”), the armor-clad
emblems important symbols to the schools’ sports communities. Perhaps
they could ask Higgins Armory to let them borrow some of their collection
until oversized stuffed costumes can be made part of their kingdoms.
Best in show — Assumption College sports an unusual
icon, the Greyhound, and has since 1933. The legend of the mascot’s
origin, according to the school’s website, is that “an unidentified
priest remarked that the basketball team ran so fast it resembled a bunch
of Greyhounds.” Before that, the college’s teams had been
known by their colors, the Blue and White. It is said that a man named
Batiste, a French-Canadian lumberjack, owned the first mascot at the college,
whose name was Pierre. The name has stuck and Pierre is a regular feature
at alumni events. His presence on campus is still alive and well.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery — Clark University
Athletics is, some might say surprisingly, represented by a ferocious
Cougar. In the late 1960s, Clark Coach Bob Stairs watched the Houston
Cougars success in the NCAA and wanted to duplicate their spirit and rising
popularity. Clark already had the right colors, red and white, so
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