- Willie the Wildcat (Northwestern)
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Willie the Wildcat University Northwestern University Conference Big Ten Description Anthropomorphic wildcat First seen 1933 Willie the Wildcat is the mascot for the Northwestern University Wildcats. He is not to be confused with the mascot for Kansas State University, also named Willie The Wildcat.
History
The first mascot was a live, caged bear cub from the Lincoln Park Zoo named Furpaw. In fall 1923, Furpaw was driven to the playing field to greet the fans before each game. After a losing season, the team decided that Furpaw was the harbinger of bad luck and banished him from campus.
The name "Wildcats" was bestowed upon the university in 1924 by a writer for the Chicago Tribune who wrote that even in a loss to the University of Chicago Maroons, the Northwestern football players looked like "Wildcats [that] had come down from Evanston." The name was so popular that university board members made "Wildcats" the official nickname just months later.
In 1933, the Northwestern athletic department and an advertising firm created the first image of Willie. He did not actually come to life until 1947, when members of the Alpha Delta fraternity dressed up as him during the Homecoming parade.
In 2007, the first football game revealed a new-look Willie after a "makeover".
References
- Skjervem, M. & Reck, D. M. (2007). Wildcat Stuff Book for Peer Coordinators. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University.
Northwestern University Academics Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences • School of Communication • Bienen School of Music • Kellogg School of Management • McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science • Medill School of Journalism • School of Education and Social Policy • Feinberg School of Medicine • Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary • School of Law • The Graduate School • School of Continuing StudiesResearch Argonne/Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center • Infrastructure Technology Institute • Journal of Criminal Law & CriminologyCampus Athletics Northwestern Wildcats • Big Ten • Football • Men's Basketball • NUMB • Women's Lacrosse • Softball • Patten Gymnasium • Rocky Miller Park • Ryan Field • Sweet Sioux Tomahawk • Land of Lincoln Trophy • Welsh-Ryan Arena • Willie the WildcatMedia Traditions People Mascots of the Big Ten Conference Legends Division Herky the Hawk (Iowa) • Sparty (Michigan State) • Goldy Gopher (Minnesota) • Herbie Husker / Lil' Red (Nebraska) • Willie the Wildcat (Northwestern) • No Mascot (Michigan)Leaders Division Brutus Buckeye (Ohio State) • Nittany Lion (Penn State) • Boilermaker Special / Purdue Pete (Purdue) • Bucky Badger (Wisconsin) • No Mascot (Illinois, Indiana)Categories:- College mascots in the United States
- Northwestern University
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