Handsome Dan
Handsome Dan is the name of the mascot of the Yale University sports teams , a bulldog . The stylized head of a biting bulldog adorns the jerseys of the university's sports teams; he is one of the most famous icons of American sport. Handsome Dan was the first ever sports team mascot in the United States.
The university also has a real bulldog. The title and name of the Handsome Dan are transferred to a new male after the death or retirement of the predecessor. The football team in particular uses his services; he is kept on a leash at the edge of the field during all games. He is also trained to be hostile to people dressed in purple. Purple is the traditional color of Harvard University and its sports teams, traditionally Yale's arch-rivals.
The mascot inspired Cole Porter (who graduated from Yale in 1913) to compose the battle hymn Bulldog in 1911 , which is still heard today at games by Yale teams. On the other hand, while studying at Harvard , John Reed , who would later become the first chairman of the Communist Party of the United States, wrote a song in which he encouraged Harvard to " twist the bulldog's tail ".
Handsome Dan I.
1889–1897 (died)
The first Handsome Dan was bought from a farrier by student Andrew Graves for $ 5.00. He was featured as a mascot at university baseball and football games for years . The daily newspaper The Hartford Courant ruled the dog look "like a cross between an alligator and a bullfrog ", which gave its name a certain comic drop height. After his death he was stuffed . His preserved body is now on display in a showcase in front of the entrance to Payne Whitney High School , the old sports hall .
Handsome Dan II
1928–1937 (died after a broken leg)
After a hiatus of thirty-five years, the tradition that began with the first Handsome Dan was revived. Handsome Dan II was acquired after a fundraising campaign by freshmen and given to the football coach Ducky Pond. In 1934, the day before the duel with arch-rival Harvard, he was kidnapped by students at that college. According to his alma mater, he was then a victim of Stockholm Syndrome ; a photo appeared on the cover of the Harvard Lampoon showing him licking the boots of the statue of John Harvard , the progenitor of the hereditary enemy. A little later the entire freshly printed edition of the Harvard Lampoon was stolen; the editors suspected the theft was an act of revenge for the kidnapping of Handsome Dan.
Handsome Dan III
1937–1938 (early retirement)
This male soon proved to be unable to work, as he was prone to anxiety attacks in large crowds.
Handsome Dan IV
1938–1940 (retired after an injury)
Shortly after starting work, this hapless dog was hit by an automobile. Nevertheless, he was absent from his office until his death in 1940 .
Handsome Dan V.
1940–1947 (died of old age)
This not quite young male, formerly called "Bull", was already used to the hustle and bustle of football games thanks to his master, Bob Day, a student who lived near the university stadium (the Yale Bowl ). He took over after the death of Handsome Dan IV. He was popular with players and the audience alike and obviously enjoyed bathing in the crowd. Once he even accompanied the football team to an away game at Princeton University .
Handsome Dan VI
1947–1949 (under unexplained circumstances, different between the ages of two)
It is said that this dog was hit by fireworks and fatally wounded in the annual duel against Harvard in 1949. Other voices claim that he died of shame that his team lost in that game.
Handsome Dan VII
1949–1952 (early retirement)
The temper of this male was too boisterous even for the footballers, so that he was soon decommissioned and instead became a watchdog on an estate in Florida.
Handsome Dan VIII
1952–1952 (retired early)
Handsome Dan VIII, the dog of football coach Herman Hickman, was also barely able to cope with his appearances in front of the crowds and was therefore released after only two games.
Handsome Dan IX
1953–1959 (died of kidney failure)
This dog caused a stir when he fell into the water from the jetty of the university boathouse (the official residence of the Handsome Dans) and almost drowned. This seems to confirm the thesis that bulldogs, unlike other dog breeds, are unable to swim due to their stockiness. He achieved national fame in November 1956 when he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated .
Handsome Dan X
1959–1969 (retired for reasons of age)
The male "Woodie", also called "Boodnick", was able to build on the standards that Handsome Dan V had set. He weighed an imposing 33 kilograms and was reportedly a major factor in Yale's record 1960 season, when the team took nine wins and remained undefeated. He also won a beauty pageant , the Cape Cod Kennel Club first prize in his breed. He died of natural causes in 1971.
Handsome Dan XI
1969–1974 (retired due to arthritis )
The former "Oliver" was the dog of Horace Taft, the dean of the university. Apparently he liked football, but he was prone to lethargy. On sunny days in particular, he tended to lazily lounge in the grass at the edge of the field. In the tourist season he was a frequent guest on Martha's Vineyard with his master .
Handsome Dan XII
1975-1984
The former "Bingo" belonged to Professor Rollin Osterweis and was described as "combative and stubborn, but nonetheless amiable". Bingo was the only bitch who ever held the position of "Handsome Dan"; the fall of this male domain in the 1970s, when women were raging, made headlines across the country. Like Handsome Dan II, she was kidnapped by a rival university in the meantime: in 1979, Princeton University cheerleaders took him under their control. Handsome Dan XII was retired in 1983 after the 100th clash between the Yale and Harvard football teams, which was attended with great media interest.
Handsome Dan XIII
1984–1995 and 1996–1996 (retired due to old age, activated again in the meantime)
"Maurice", Chris Getman's dog, is now considered the most important of the Handsome Dans. He served longer than any other dan. He was the only one to be reactivated after his retirement; his designated successor had blessed the time too early. In 1989 he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated , as well as numerous stadium magazines and in 1991, disguised as Santa Claus, the university's official Christmas greeting card. He even appeared in a bathing suit at various swimming team competitions. He showed his love for his alma mater in different ways: he could bark along to the battle song of the university. If you asked him if he would rather die or enroll at Harvard (or Dartmouth), he fell over and pretended to be dead.
He also tended to physically attack the opposing teams' mascots. Among other things, he attacked the unsuspecting actors who wore the costumes of the Princeton University tiger and Brown University bear . He died in 1997, shortly before his 14th birthday.
Handsome Dan XIV
1995–1996 (died of a heart attack)
"Whizzer", also called "Hetherbull", also belonged to Chris Getman. It was a gift from the bulldog breeder Bob Hetherington and one of his ancestors was Hetherbull Arrogant Frigott, who had won no fewer than 52 breeding shows. Evil voices blame the high degree of inbreeding that Handsome Dan XIV suffered from fragile health. After only a year, he died of heart failure. Therefore, his predecessor was brought back from retirement at short notice.
Handsome Dan XV
1996-2005 (died in office)
The male "Louis" was also a present from Bob Hetherington to Chris Getman. He does not seem to have done any remarkable feat. He died in January 2005.
Handsome Dan XVI
2005–2006 (retired early)
Handsome Dan XVI was chosen on April 26, 2005. The magnificent male "Magnificent Mugsy Rangoon" from nearby Hamden (Connecticut) was selected by a five-member committee. Among other things, his impressive weight of 30 kilograms, his natural aversion to the color purple, his apparently robust health and his ability to keep the marching band at the university played a role in his choice.
Hate crimes against bulldogs
It is said to this day that Percy Haughton, the coach of Harvards football team, strangled a bulldog to motivate his players in the dressing room before the big duel against Yale in 1908. Harvard won the game 4-0.
Web links
- A page of bulldog mascot logos, Including Yale's (English)
- Yale's mascot homepage (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Spencer D. Kelly: What's in a Name: The Controversy Surrounding the CAA's Ban on College Nicknames and Mascots. In: Wilamette Sports Law Journal 3, 2008 .: Yale was the first university in the United States to adopt a mascot, and to this date, none is better known than Handsome Dan.
- ↑ Kaplan College Guide . Kaplan Publishing, New York 2008, p. 51. ISBN 1-4277-9750-1
- ↑ Peter Tamony: Western Words. In: Western Folklore 33: 3, 1974. p. 236.
- ^ Tara Magdalinski: 'Cute, Loveable Characters': The Place and Significance of Mascots in the Olympic Movement. In: Olympika. The International Journal of Olympic Studies. XIII, 2004. p. 73.
- ^ Mary C. Daily (Boston College): Mascots: Performance and Fetishism in Sport Culture. In: Platform 3: 1, December 2007.
- ^ Harvard-Yale Rivalry a Tribute to the Student-Athlete . ESPN, October 2, 2008.
- ^ William Emmett Studwell, Bruce R. Schueneman (eds.): College Fight Songs: A supplementary anthology. Haworth Press, 2001. p. 41
- ^ Charles Schwartz: Cole Porter. A biography. Dial Press, 1977. p. 24.
- ↑ Stephen G. Wieting: Sport and memory in North America Routledge, New York 2001. p. 6.
- ^ Yale University Manuscripts and Archives
- ↑ Yale's Mascot. Handsome Dan. Dead. Obituary in the New York Times, April 15, 1897, p. 5.
- ^ Yale Again Possesses Traditional Mascot; JH Whitney Gives English Bulldog to Crew. New York Times report of March 23, 1928.
- ↑ Harvard Men Kidnap Yale bulldog Mascot; Handsome Dan to Be Lampoon Dinner Guest. Associated Press report of March 16, 1934
- ^ Handsome Dan Back Home at Yale Again. New York Times report , March 25, 1934, p. 1.
- ↑ YALE'S DAN RESTS, TRYING TO FORGET; Back Home With Not Even a Red Ribbon on Him, Mascot Forgives 'Dognappers.' CHAGRINED OVER PHOTO Campus Is Silent and Apparently Indignities at Harvard Hands Will Go Unpunished. Article of the New York Times of 26 March 1934: 19
- ↑ Handsome Dan, Home Again, Denies He Licked Feet of Harvard Statue, Was Eating Hamburg Steak, He Says. Article in Hartford Courant , March 25, 1934. p. 1.
- ^ Whole Issue of Lampoon 'Stolen'; Harvard Editors Suspect Yale. New York Times article, Nov. 2, 1934, p. 1.
- ↑ ELI MASCOT HAS CHANCE; Handsome Dan May Pull Through After Severe Accident. New York Times report , October 21, 1939, p. 9.
- ↑ YALE'S MASCOT IS DEAD; Handsome Dan IV Goes Where All Good Bulldogs Go. New York Times Obituary , Oct. 21, 1940, p. 19.
- ↑ Handsome Dan Cover - 05/11/56 Issue Contents - SI Vault ( Memento September 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) of Sports Illustrated - 5:19 issue of November 5, 1956.
- ↑ Handsome Dan X, Yale Mascot, Hopes to Add Ch. To His Name. New York Times news item , Nov. 8, 1967, p. 88.
- ↑ Handsome Dan Now A Female. Article from the Hartford Courant , June 10, 1975.
- ↑ A Mascot's Farewell. Associated Press report of November 17, 1983.
- ↑ Handsome Dan XIII Enjoys a Dog's Life at Yale. New York Times report, November 20, 1988, p. 34.
- ^ Yale's Favorite Bulldog Plans a Final Trick for Harvard. New York Times news item, Nov. 18, 1993. Page B6.
- ↑ Bulldog Mascot For Yale Dies. Boston Globe news from July 19, 1996.
- ^ Dog Day Afternoon: Yale searches for a new Handsome Dan . In: Sports Illustrated , May 9, 2005.