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The Mascot
In 1924, Birmingham-Southern purchased an authentic stuffed panther from a scientific organization. Proud of their new icon, the team captain, “Red” Farr, even posed for his photograph in front of it.
This new prize interested more than a few Howard students, and became the focus of the 1926 prank. On the Tuesday before The Game, a crew of Howard men snuck onto the Hilltop and broke into the Science Hall. They tossed the feline into the backseat of their car and spirited it away.
Once on their own campus, the perpetrators allowed their own bulldog mascot—quite alive—to have his way ripping the panther to shreds before returning the damaged cat back to BSC in an ambulance followed by twelve carloads of yelling Howard students.
Taking a page out of BSC's book, the Howard students then staged a fake burial of the Panther.
Comments & Questions
- Lewellyn and Starr mention that the Birmingham College football team was first described as a “pack of panthers” by a spectator in 1916.
- We now have two panther statues on campus, but have there been other “stuffed” panthers? Or other manifestations of the mascot?
- In his book on college folklore, Piled Higher and Deeper, Simon Bronner notes that kidnapping the rival's mascot has long been a favorite sports prank. This is not surprising to anyone who has seen Homer Simpson's misadventures with a pig named “Sir Oinks-a-Lot.” It would be interesting to learn if other BSC items have been coveted, purloined, liberated, or ransomed over the years.
- One of the more interesting tales involving mascots and taxidermy comes from Tufts University in Boston where the school mascot is a specific, very famous elephant named Jumbo. Jumbo became a celebrity in the 1880s, traveling with the Barnum and Bailey circus. Upon the elephant's untimely death, Barnum donated its skeleton to the Smithsonian and its stuffed hide to Tufts. Although it was eventually destroyed in a fire, Jumbo stood for decades in the university's Barnum Museum where students would pluck hairs from its tail for luck. (For the full story, see Tufts Online Magazine Spring 2002 http://www.tufts.edu/alumni/magazine/spring2002/jumbo.html )
YOUR THOUGHTS?
Email your comments, corrections, or additions to [email protected] .
A Panther Turns 40
Rowdy has a new lease on life thanks to an updated mascot suit and a closet full of BSC gear, formal wear, and seasonal accessories. The new look was funded by a gift from AT&T, thanks to BSC Trustee Joelle James Phillips ’89, president of AT&T Tennessee, and Wayne Hutchens MPPM ’89, president of AT&T Alabama.
This year, we’re celebrating 40 years of beloved panther and Birmingham-Southern mascot, Rowdy. Yes, the panther has been a part of the College for much longer, but it took a “Name the Panther” contest and a promising cash reward to finally identify our fearless feline.
Flashback to 1980, during basketball season: David Rikard was in his second year at BSC and remembers walking through the student center, seeing a contest entry box for naming the mascot, and entering on a whim.
“I was perpetually broke at that point, and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to make a little money,” Rikard says.
As he sorted through possible options to submit, he thought about college swimmer (and future Olympic gold medalist) Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines, paired with a cheer he remembered from Vestavia Hills High School about “getting rowdy.”
Not too long after he submitted his idea, a friend shouted at Rikard across the quad and told him he’d just won the “Name the Panther” contest, which was announced at that night’s basketball game. Rowdy was officially named, beginning a 40-year legacy at the College.
Rikard transferred from BSC later that academic year, but he has always treasured the community and memories he made on the Hilltop. His three terms at the College were filled with great friendships, especially among his Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers, as well as academic challenges.
“I was the first person in my family to go to college, and everything was brand new and overwhelming,” Rikard says. “I remember a level of consideration, compassion, and empathy from my professors that went beyond the standard. I gained a confidence to trust myself.”
He ended up graduating from the University of Alabama and, after moving away for years, eventually returned to Birmingham. When he moved back, he met up with fraternity brother Rev. Keith Thompson ’83, who at that time was the pastor of First United Methodist Church (he is currently the pastor at Canterbury United Methodist Church.)
Thompson encouraged Rikard to join the First United Methodist community, where he’s still an active member and has reconnected with quite a few BSC connections from his time on the Hilltop, forming a meaningful and lasting community.
“None of that would have ever happened without those three terms at Birmingham-Southern,” he says. “At that point in my life, it was the family that I needed. It was a real privilege to make those connections.”
And along with these friendships, Rikard never forgot about Rowdy. A few years ago, he did some research to see if BSC still used the Rowdy name and was delighted to see that it stuck over the years.
“It’s become something I’m proud of – that I left a little bit of a mark,” he says. “And now, if I ever meet somebody who’s from BSC, I always let them know that I named the panther.”
This story was published in the Fall/Winter 2020 issue of ’Southern, BSC’s alumni magazine.
If you have ideas for our next issue of ’Southern, please email [email protected]. We always welcome stories about outstanding people from the BSC community.
Treasured Objects
In the basement of Bill Battle Coliseum reclines a statue of the BSC mascot. Its pinkish hue contrasts with its bronze sister who greets fans at the upstairs entrance.
The Panthers
Brief Commentary:
Most campuses have statues that have entered the realm of folklore because of legends associated with them. Usually, these stories involve the statue reacting to the presence of a virgin, such as “Silent Sam” on the UNC campus, who fires his rifle if a virgin walks by. Statues also become an active part of student customary behaviors.
At Northeastern University, for example, a bronze statue of the school's mascot, a husky, stands guard in the entrance to the student center. The statue is usually covered with yellow post-it® notes—the campuses unofficial message board. Other schools have statues whose body parts are worn down because students continually rub them for good luck.
Questions:
- How long have these statues been in place?
- Are there any legends associated with them?
- Have students customarily interacted with the statues in any way?
- Are there other statues or sculptures on campus that are focal points for legends or behaviors?
Your Toughts??
Email your comments, corrections, or additions to [email protected] .
Bibliography
- "All About Testudo." University of Maryland home page..
- Bronner, Simon J. Piled Higher and Deeper. Little Rock: August House, 1990. 178-85.
- "Brown Traditions." Admissions home page. Brown University
- Dorson, Richard. American Folklore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1959. 254-55.
- Hodges, David. "Top 10 Lies They Tell Freshmen." Carolina Review Vol. XIII, No. 8 (Summer 2006): 10-11.
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