Happy Mascot Day! See College Mascots You Won’t Believe

Just in case you were unaware, the LSU Tigers men's baseball team is once again in Omaha, Nebraska for the NCAA Men's College World Series.

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Last night, in their game with the UCLA Bruins, as the teams had just finished up the third inning, Mother Nature decided to remind all the players and fans who is actually in charge of any outdoor event.

After a lengthy delay, as the rain continued to drench the field, it was decided these two teams would have to wait until today at 10:00 am Central time to resume play. The game will pick up in the top of the fourth inning with LSU leading 5-3.

The delay gave me plenty of time to allow my mind to wander. Tigers and Bruins? We all know what a Tiger is, but what about a Bruin? Just what the heck is that?

Collinsdictionary.com says a "bruin" is a name for any bear in fable and folklore.  So, why didn't UCLA just go with "Bears?"

According to alumni.ucla.edu, "Originally, UCLA students were Cubs, a nod to the school’s fledgling status that didn’t sit well for long. So in 1924, students adopted the more ferocious Grizzly. In 1926, however, as UCLA looked to enter the Pacific Coast Conference, the University of Montana – already a member – pressed its case for Grizzly ownership. Once again, UCLA was in search of a moniker. After considering everything from Buccaneers to Gorillas, students remained in a quandary. At the time, UC Berkeley was using both Bears and Bruins. Berkeley’s student leaders voted to give the Bruin name up and finally, UCLA had its mascot."

Perfect explanation for our Bruins mascot dilemma.  However, the search for this info reminded me of my own "mascot connection."

In high school, my cousin Jeremy Jones was the mascot for Northwood High School. Jeremy, now a very successful banker at Home Federal Bank, was Freddie the Falcon for Northwood.

And he was good. Really good. So much so that he continued his "mascot career" at Northeast Louisiana University (now University of Louisiana Monroe) as "Chief Brave Spirit" before they abandoned the "Indians" mascot for the "Warhawks."

Well, today is National Mascot Day. It's a day to recognize those mascots all over America. And because not everyone can be chosen by God to be a Bulldog, or a Warhawk, a Tiger, Razorback or a Demon, some will spend their collegiate days paying homage to a vegetable; or even a color.

Just look at what we've discovered are the Top 5 Most Ridiculous College Mascots of all Time