McFog the Dog

McFog the Dog was the Scottish Terrier mascot of the Simon Fraser University Clan. Simon Fraser University is a major University located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

McFog first appeared in the fall semester of 1996, replacing the former gorilla mascot frequently present at Clan athletic events, who was officially retired on October 18, 1996. It was believed that McFog better represented the Scottish theme of the university, derived from its namesake, Simon Fraser (explorer). From 1996-2003, McFog appeared frequently on campus, attending sporting and campus events, including the haggis festival, pipe-band concerts, and annual Shrum Bowl football game.

McFog is named after Simon Fraser University's first president Patrick McTaggart-Cowan. During World War II, McTaggart-Cowan was serving as a meteorologist in charge of determining whether or not the weather would allow Allied aircraft to fly missions. During an extended period of poor weather, McTaggart-Cowan was reportedly given the nickname "McFog" by many of the Allied aviators. This was seen as an appropriate for Simon Fraser's mascot because it is frequently foggy on the school's campus, due to its location atop Burnaby Mountain.

McFog the Dog mysteriously disappeared in 2003, and has not been seen at Clan athletic events in over 3 years. McFog was not replaced by another mascot, and so the Simon Fraser University Clan currently do not have an active mascot. It is not known what happened to McFog, but he remains a popular cult image among students on the school's campus and many theories have been proposed to explain his absence. Included in these conspiracy theories is that the fuzzy McFog outfit was stolen by students from Simon Fraser's cross-town rival, the University of British Columbia.

See also

*Simon Fraser University

External links

* [http://www.sfu.ca/ SFU Official Site]
* [http://cgi.sfu.ca/~athlwww/index.php/ Clan Athletics Official Site]