Griffin (mascot)
Encyclopedia
Griffin, a mythical creature
with the head of an eagle
and the body of a lion
, is the mascot of The College of William & Mary. William & Mary President Taylor Reveley
announced the adoption of the new mascot on April 6, 2010. The Griffin mascot beat out the other four finalists: a King and Queen
(dual mascot), a Phoenix
, a Pug
, and a Wren
. The Griffin replaced the College's unofficial mascot a green and gold frog
called "Colonel Ebirt
".
because William & Mary's athletic teams used to be known as the "Indians", which was later changed to the "Tribe."
In May 2006, the NCAA ruled
that the old athletic logo for William & Mary, which includes two green and gold feathers, could create an environment that is offensive to the Native American community
. The College's appeal regarding the use of the institution’s athletic logo to the NCAA Executive Committee was rejected. The "Tribe" nickname, by itself, was found to be neither hostile nor abusive, but rather communicates ennobling sentiments of commitment, shared idealism, community and common cause. The College stated it would phase out the use of the two feathers by the fall of 2007.
Due to the changing nature of the athletic teams persona, for a short time, the College's unofficial mascot was a green and gold frog
(though it was commonly referred to on campus simply as an 'amorphous green blob') called "Colonel Ebirt
" ("Tribe" backwards), which was discontinued in 2005.
In 2009, William & Mary President Taylor Reveley appointed a committee of alumni, students, faculty, and staff to helm the selection for a new mascot for the college that could serve as a "unifying, fun figure on campus" as well as making sure that the new mascot "look[ed] good on T-Shirts and in costume."
In December 2009, five finalists—including a Griffin
, King and Queen
, the Phoenix
, a Pug
and the Wren
—were announced from more than 800 submissions.
After announcement of the finalists, there was a month-long public feedback period on the five mascot finalists in which more than 11,000 people completed a survey. The appointed mascot committee reviewed more than 22,000 comments regarding the new mascot. The committee even heard received a comment from Colonel Ebirt
, the previous unofficial mascot who had developed his own Facebook
page. Colonel Ebirt also released a YouTube
video where he stated that he had no plans to leave retirement.
, whose monarchy has used the symbol of the lion in the past, and the United States
, which uses the eagle as the national symbol. William and Mary Athletic Director Terry Driscoll
said about the Griffin: "The griffin is half eagle and half lion, which symbolizes intelligence and strength, and this what we want our student athletes to represent."
The mascot does not have an official name yet. President Reveley stated that a name for the Griffin would not come in the Spring 2010 semester and that: "If and when the beast gets a name, we'll let the people decide."
The announcement of the new mascot was made fun of by College of William & Mary alumnus Jon Stewart
, who stated on the April 8, 2010, broadcast of The Daily Show
, "William and Mary has announced a new mascot. It's a griffin, which is ancient Greek for the rare pantless tailed eagle. Sorry, but in my day running through campus with no pants on was the students' job." The new mascot was also welcomed into the group of college griffin mascots in a faux "open letter" to USA Today
by the Canisius College
Golden Griffin, which stated "[Y]ou are a newcomer, if you don't mind my saying so, in this griffin mascot biz, this being your first full day and all. And there is one thing you should know. Please, don't take shots at other griffins."
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
with the head of an eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
and the body of a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, is the mascot of The College of William & Mary. William & Mary President Taylor Reveley
W. Taylor Reveley III
Walter Taylor Reveley, III is the twenty-seventh president of The College of William & Mary. Formerly Dean of the William and Mary Law School, Reveley was appointed interim president of the College on February 12, 2008 following Gene Nichol's resignation earlier that day and was officially...
announced the adoption of the new mascot on April 6, 2010. The Griffin mascot beat out the other four finalists: a King and Queen
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
(dual mascot), a Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, a Pug
Pug
The pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...
, and a Wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
. The Griffin replaced the College's unofficial mascot a green and gold frog
Growling Grass Frog
The Growling Grass Frog , also commonly known as the Southern Bell Frog, Warty Swamp Frog and erroneously as the Green Frog is a species of ground dwelling tree frog is native to South eastern Australia; ranging from southern South Australia along the Murray River though Victoria to New South...
called "Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt was the unofficial school mascot for The College of William & Mary from 2001–2005. A green and gold frog that donned a tri-corner hat, Colonel Ebirt was originally used as a promotional tool for Colonial Williamsburg. It became involved with the College athletics program when someone...
".
History
Originally, the mascot for William and Mary were students that dressed as Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
because William & Mary's athletic teams used to be known as the "Indians", which was later changed to the "Tribe."
In May 2006, the NCAA ruled
Native American mascot controversy
The propriety of using Native American mascots and images in sports has been a topic of debate in the United States and Canada since the 1960s.Americans have had a history of drawing inspiration from native peoples and "playing Indian" that dates back at least to the 18th century...
that the old athletic logo for William & Mary, which includes two green and gold feathers, could create an environment that is offensive to the Native American community
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. The College's appeal regarding the use of the institution’s athletic logo to the NCAA Executive Committee was rejected. The "Tribe" nickname, by itself, was found to be neither hostile nor abusive, but rather communicates ennobling sentiments of commitment, shared idealism, community and common cause. The College stated it would phase out the use of the two feathers by the fall of 2007.
Due to the changing nature of the athletic teams persona, for a short time, the College's unofficial mascot was a green and gold frog
Growling Grass Frog
The Growling Grass Frog , also commonly known as the Southern Bell Frog, Warty Swamp Frog and erroneously as the Green Frog is a species of ground dwelling tree frog is native to South eastern Australia; ranging from southern South Australia along the Murray River though Victoria to New South...
(though it was commonly referred to on campus simply as an 'amorphous green blob') called "Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt was the unofficial school mascot for The College of William & Mary from 2001–2005. A green and gold frog that donned a tri-corner hat, Colonel Ebirt was originally used as a promotional tool for Colonial Williamsburg. It became involved with the College athletics program when someone...
" ("Tribe" backwards), which was discontinued in 2005.
In 2009, William & Mary President Taylor Reveley appointed a committee of alumni, students, faculty, and staff to helm the selection for a new mascot for the college that could serve as a "unifying, fun figure on campus" as well as making sure that the new mascot "look[ed] good on T-Shirts and in costume."
In December 2009, five finalists—including a Griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
, King and Queen
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
, the Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, a Pug
Pug
The pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...
and the Wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
—were announced from more than 800 submissions.
After announcement of the finalists, there was a month-long public feedback period on the five mascot finalists in which more than 11,000 people completed a survey. The appointed mascot committee reviewed more than 22,000 comments regarding the new mascot. The committee even heard received a comment from Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt was the unofficial school mascot for The College of William & Mary from 2001–2005. A green and gold frog that donned a tri-corner hat, Colonel Ebirt was originally used as a promotional tool for Colonial Williamsburg. It became involved with the College athletics program when someone...
, the previous unofficial mascot who had developed his own Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page. Colonel Ebirt also released a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video where he stated that he had no plans to leave retirement.
Announcement and reception
On April 6, 2010, president Reveley announced that the College has selected the Griffin as its new mascot. President Reveley stated that the new mascot symbolizes the links between the college's historic ties to both Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, whose monarchy has used the symbol of the lion in the past, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which uses the eagle as the national symbol. William and Mary Athletic Director Terry Driscoll
Terry Driscoll
Edward Cuthbert "Terry" Driscoll Jr. is an American former professional basketball player.A 6 ft 7 in forward, Driscoll played at Boston College in the late 1960s. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1969 National Invitational Tournament after leading his school to the tournament final...
said about the Griffin: "The griffin is half eagle and half lion, which symbolizes intelligence and strength, and this what we want our student athletes to represent."
The mascot does not have an official name yet. President Reveley stated that a name for the Griffin would not come in the Spring 2010 semester and that: "If and when the beast gets a name, we'll let the people decide."
The announcement of the new mascot was made fun of by College of William & Mary alumnus Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
, who stated on the April 8, 2010, broadcast of The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, "William and Mary has announced a new mascot. It's a griffin, which is ancient Greek for the rare pantless tailed eagle. Sorry, but in my day running through campus with no pants on was the students' job." The new mascot was also welcomed into the group of college griffin mascots in a faux "open letter" to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
by the Canisius College
Canisius College
Canisius College is a private Roman Catholic college in Buffalo, New York, United States. The college was founded in 1870 by members of the Society of Jesus from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. The college is one of 28 institutions in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and...
Golden Griffin, which stated "[Y]ou are a newcomer, if you don't mind my saying so, in this griffin mascot biz, this being your first full day and all. And there is one thing you should know. Please, don't take shots at other griffins."
See also
- List of U.S. college mascots
- William & Mary TribeWilliam & Mary TribeThe William & Mary Tribe are the athletic teams for the College of William & Mary. The name Tribe now refers to the unity and comradery that William & Mary student-athletes share when competing in the classroom and on the field. William & Mary has transitioned through several official nicknames...
– the athletic program of The College of William & Mary