Jack the Bulldog
Encyclopedia
Jack the Bulldog is the official mascot
of the Georgetown University
Hoyas
athletics teams. Jack has been the name of at least four live Bulldog
s since 1962, when the name first came into use. The current incarnation of Jack is an English Bulldog born in 2003 whose full name is John S. Carroll. Jack is also portrayed by a costumed character
Bulldog mascot, a tradition dating to 1977. Jack was not always the name of the Georgetown Hoyas' mascot, nor was the mascot always a bulldog, as other types of dogs, particularly bull terriers
, were associated with the sports teams before 1962. Today, Georgetown is among thirty-nine American universities to use a bulldog as their mascot.
named Richmond Jack in 1906, a bulldog named Hoya in 1907, and a Boston Bull Terrier
in 1911. At this time, most mascots were primarily associated with the school's football team
, and were cared for by students or individual sports teams, rather than the administration.
Sergeant Stubby
, a part bull terrier and a decorated World War I
war dog
, came to campus in 1921 with J. Robert Conroy who was attending Georgetown Law
at the time. The school football team used Stubby as a popular halftime show
where he would push a football across the field, which established him as a campus celebrity. After Stubby died in 1926, the team then chose a female bull terrier named Jazz Bo, who had been brought to campus by Georgetown College
student Paul Van Laanen. Jazz Bo was retitled "Hoya" by the students, after the traditional "Hoya Saxa
" school cheer. The athletic teams are possibly named, in turn, for this dog. When "Hoya" gave birth to a daughter, students named the puppy "Saxa".
Other bull terriers like Saxa filled in as mascot until World War II
, when athletics at the school paused during the war. After the war, a series of Great Dane
s, named Bo, Butch, and Hobo, served as mascot. William Peter Blatty
, author of The Exorcist
, was one of the students to care for Butch. A bull terrier costume was also briefly used by the school, but in 1951, the school suspended the football program as part of a larger backlash against university sports. This left the school without a mascot.
In 1962, with the resumption of a football team, students Stan Samorajczyk and John Feldmann, editors of The Hoya
campus newspaper, founded a committee to raise money for the purchase of a new mascot dog in time for the first new games in 1964. This committee chose a purebred
English Bulldog as the dog which would represent Georgetown students because of their "tenacity." Samorajczyk also followed the sports team jerseys, which may have previously had an image of a bulldog on them. Around this time the school also adopted as the official logo of the athletics program a new drawing in blue and gray school colors of the bulldog. This logo dog wears a cap typical of the beanie
which other freshman at the time had to wear.
For $150 the committee bought a two-year-old blue-ribbon-champion show dog
named "Lil-Nan's Royal Jacket," named because the colors of his coat
looked like a jacket. This dog was to be renamed "Hoya" like his 1926 predecessor, but refused to respond to any name other than his call name "Jack." Jack lived outside New South Hall in a heated doghouse
. In 1967, Royal Jacket retired and was replaced by a second bulldog who continued under the simple name "Jack." In 1977, the costumed mascot took over duties as Jack. The costume, first worn by student Pat Sheehan, has been updated numerous times, most recently in 2008. Other live bulldogs owned by students at times joined the costumed Jack, including one named Rocky from 1982–85 and one named Daisy in 1997.
, S.J. The "Bring Back Jack" Campaign initially sought to find a suitable dog among the students and faculty, as the university did not want to use school funds for the purchase. Ultimately, Hoya Blue raised $1,500 to purchase a new puppy named Jack (officially, John P. Carroll) and placed him in the care of Father Pilarz on February 16, 1999. However after four years, Jack left Georgetown with Pilarz, who was named president of the University of Scranton
in Pennsylvania
in 2003, and then president of Marquette University
in 2011. John P. Carroll died on September 16, 2011 at the home of Pilarz's parents in Voorhees, New Jersey, at the age of 12.
Donations from Hoya Blue, the Hoya Hoop Club, the Office of the President, and alumni allowed for the purchase of the current third incarnation of Jack (born 2003).
Jack was born May 3, 2003 at Brookhollow Kennel in Freehold Township, New Jersey
as a litter of one. He is the son of champion bulldog Copper Kid and a relation of Rocky the 1983 mascot. He was brought to campus on July 19, 2003 and placed in the care of Father Christopher Steck, S.J., a theology professor. His official name, as registered with the American Kennel Club
is Brookhollow's John S. Carroll, which allows for the nickname Jack. This refers to Georgetown founder John Carroll
, while "S." stands for Steck. Similarly the previous mascot was officially John P. Carroll, for Pilarz. He is also infrequently referred to as Jack IV, as the school is unsure of the exact number of dogs used as Jack in the 1970s.
Jack lives with Father Steck in New South Hall but spends time in Wolfington Hall Jesuit Residence. In 2007, Father Steck started the "Jack Crew", a twenty-student organization of Jack's walkers and caretakers. Crew members must be able to show their school spirit and their ability to control Jack, including being aware of his affinity for orange traffic cones. Jack has both an email address, a Facebook
profile, and a local phone number, and the campus directory lists him as part of the theology faculty, like Father Steck.
Jack attends home basketball games at the Verizon Center
, where he entertains fans by attacking a cardboard box decorated with opponents' logos. Jack wears a leather collar studded with Georgetown pins, and occasionally wears a team jersey sporting the number one, which Steck purchased at the school bookstore. On campus, Jack attends some student meetings and can be booked for social functions. He weighs 55 pounds (24.9 kg) and his color is described as "red fawn." Jack's personality is described as very social, but imperious and stubborn with "a sense of entitlement."
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Hoyas
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
athletics teams. Jack has been the name of at least four live Bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
s since 1962, when the name first came into use. The current incarnation of Jack is an English Bulldog born in 2003 whose full name is John S. Carroll. Jack is also portrayed by a costumed character
Costumed character
right|200px|thumb|Millie, once costumed character mascot of the [[Brampton, Ontario|City of Brampton]] in [[Ontario]], [[Canada]], is now the [[Brampton Arts Council]]'s representative.A costumed character wears a costume that covers the performer's face...
Bulldog mascot, a tradition dating to 1977. Jack was not always the name of the Georgetown Hoyas' mascot, nor was the mascot always a bulldog, as other types of dogs, particularly bull terriers
Bull Terrier
The Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. They are known for their large, egg-shaped head, small triangular eyes, and "jaunty gait." Their temperament has been described as generally fun-loving, active and clownish...
, were associated with the sports teams before 1962. Today, Georgetown is among thirty-nine American universities to use a bulldog as their mascot.
History
Dogs have been associated with the school's sports teams on an unofficial basis since the late nineteenth century. Early dog mascots may have included a mutt called Hoya around 1900, a BorzoiBorzoi
The borzoi is a breed of domestic dog also called the Russian wolfhound and descended from dogs brought to Russia from central Asian countries. It is similar in shape to a greyhound, and is also a member of the sighthound family.The system by which Russians over the ages named their sighthounds...
named Richmond Jack in 1906, a bulldog named Hoya in 1907, and a Boston Bull Terrier
Bull Terrier
The Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. They are known for their large, egg-shaped head, small triangular eyes, and "jaunty gait." Their temperament has been described as generally fun-loving, active and clownish...
in 1911. At this time, most mascots were primarily associated with the school's football team
Georgetown Hoyas football
The Georgetown Hoyas football team represents Georgetown University in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level of college football. Like other sports teams from Georgetown, the team is named the Hoyas, which derives from the chant, Hoya Saxa...
, and were cared for by students or individual sports teams, rather than the administration.
Sergeant Stubby
Sergeant Stubby
Sergeant Stubby , was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat.-Life:...
, a part bull terrier and a decorated World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
war dog
War dog
Dogs in warfare have a long history starting in ancient times. From 'war dogs' trained in combat to their use as scouts, sentries and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military usage.-History:...
, came to campus in 1921 with J. Robert Conroy who was attending Georgetown Law
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
at the time. The school football team used Stubby as a popular halftime show
Halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
where he would push a football across the field, which established him as a campus celebrity. After Stubby died in 1926, the team then chose a female bull terrier named Jazz Bo, who had been brought to campus by Georgetown College
Georgetown College (Georgetown University)
Georgetown College, infrequently Georgetown College of Arts and Sciences, is the oldest school within Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The College is the largest undergraduate school at Georgetown, and until the founding of the Medical School in 1850, was the only higher education division...
student Paul Van Laanen. Jazz Bo was retitled "Hoya" by the students, after the traditional "Hoya Saxa
Hoya Saxa
Hoya Saxa is the official cheer and "college yell" of Georgetown University and its athletics teams. Hoya is an Ancient Greek word usually transliterated from as hoia from the word hoios meaning "such" or "what" as in "what manner of", and is used in certain Biblical quotations. however, is...
" school cheer. The athletic teams are possibly named, in turn, for this dog. When "Hoya" gave birth to a daughter, students named the puppy "Saxa".
Other bull terriers like Saxa filled in as mascot until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when athletics at the school paused during the war. After the war, a series of Great Dane
Great Dane
The Great Dane , also known as German Mastiff or Danish Hound , is a breed of domestic dog known for its giant size...
s, named Bo, Butch, and Hobo, served as mascot. William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty is an American writer and filmmaker. The novel The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his magnum opus; he also penned the subsequent screenplay version of the film, for which he won an Academy Award....
, author of The Exorcist
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is a novel of supernatural suspense by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school...
, was one of the students to care for Butch. A bull terrier costume was also briefly used by the school, but in 1951, the school suspended the football program as part of a larger backlash against university sports. This left the school without a mascot.
Bulldogs
The Hoya
The Hoya, the oldest and largest student newspaper of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, was founded in 1920. The Hoya prints an edition every Tuesday and Friday during the academic year and has a circulation of 6,500...
campus newspaper, founded a committee to raise money for the purchase of a new mascot dog in time for the first new games in 1964. This committee chose a purebred
Purebred
Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding...
English Bulldog as the dog which would represent Georgetown students because of their "tenacity." Samorajczyk also followed the sports team jerseys, which may have previously had an image of a bulldog on them. Around this time the school also adopted as the official logo of the athletics program a new drawing in blue and gray school colors of the bulldog. This logo dog wears a cap typical of the beanie
Beanie
A beanie is a head-hugging brimless cap with or without a visor that was once popular among school boys.-Description:In the United States of America, beanies are made by triangular sections of cloth joined by a button at the crown and seamed together around the sides.They can also be made from...
which other freshman at the time had to wear.
For $150 the committee bought a two-year-old blue-ribbon-champion show dog
Show dog
A show dog might refer to any dog entered into a dog show. More specifically, a show dog is a dog which has been specially bred, trained, and/or groomed to conform to the specifications of dog shows, so as to have a chance of winning...
named "Lil-Nan's Royal Jacket," named because the colors of his coat
Coat (dog)
The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. A dog's coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarser topcoat, or a single coat, which lacks an undercoat...
looked like a jacket. This dog was to be renamed "Hoya" like his 1926 predecessor, but refused to respond to any name other than his call name "Jack." Jack lived outside New South Hall in a heated doghouse
Doghouse
A doghouse, known in British English as a kennel, is a small shed commonly built in the shape of a little house intended for a dog. It is a structure in which a dog is kept or can run into for shelter from the elements.-Architecture:...
. In 1967, Royal Jacket retired and was replaced by a second bulldog who continued under the simple name "Jack." In 1977, the costumed mascot took over duties as Jack. The costume, first worn by student Pat Sheehan, has been updated numerous times, most recently in 2008. Other live bulldogs owned by students at times joined the costumed Jack, including one named Rocky from 1982–85 and one named Daisy in 1997.
John P. Carroll
In 1998, Michael Boyle, Austin Martin, and Kathleen Long, co-founders of the Hoya Blue fan club began a campaign to revive the tradition of an official live mascot with the assistance of English professor Father Scott R. PilarzScott R. Pilarz
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, academic and is the current President of Marquette University since August 1, 2011...
, S.J. The "Bring Back Jack" Campaign initially sought to find a suitable dog among the students and faculty, as the university did not want to use school funds for the purchase. Ultimately, Hoya Blue raised $1,500 to purchase a new puppy named Jack (officially, John P. Carroll) and placed him in the care of Father Pilarz on February 16, 1999. However after four years, Jack left Georgetown with Pilarz, who was named president of the University of Scranton
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 2003, and then president of Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
in 2011. John P. Carroll died on September 16, 2011 at the home of Pilarz's parents in Voorhees, New Jersey, at the age of 12.
Donations from Hoya Blue, the Hoya Hoop Club, the Office of the President, and alumni allowed for the purchase of the current third incarnation of Jack (born 2003).
John S. Carroll
Freehold Township, New Jersey
Freehold Township is a Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 36,184. Freehold Township was first formed on October 31, 1693, and was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21,...
as a litter of one. He is the son of champion bulldog Copper Kid and a relation of Rocky the 1983 mascot. He was brought to campus on July 19, 2003 and placed in the care of Father Christopher Steck, S.J., a theology professor. His official name, as registered with the American Kennel Club
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. Beyond maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official...
is Brookhollow's John S. Carroll, which allows for the nickname Jack. This refers to Georgetown founder John Carroll
John Carroll (bishop)
John Carroll, was the first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States — serving as the ordinary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He is also known as the founder of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States, and St...
, while "S." stands for Steck. Similarly the previous mascot was officially John P. Carroll, for Pilarz. He is also infrequently referred to as Jack IV, as the school is unsure of the exact number of dogs used as Jack in the 1970s.
Jack lives with Father Steck in New South Hall but spends time in Wolfington Hall Jesuit Residence. In 2007, Father Steck started the "Jack Crew", a twenty-student organization of Jack's walkers and caretakers. Crew members must be able to show their school spirit and their ability to control Jack, including being aware of his affinity for orange traffic cones. Jack has both an email address, a 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...
profile, and a local phone number, and the campus directory lists him as part of the theology faculty, like Father Steck.
Jack attends home basketball games at the Verizon Center
Verizon Center
Verizon Center is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C., USA, named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon Communications, and has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies...
, where he entertains fans by attacking a cardboard box decorated with opponents' logos. Jack wears a leather collar studded with Georgetown pins, and occasionally wears a team jersey sporting the number one, which Steck purchased at the school bookstore. On campus, Jack attends some student meetings and can be booked for social functions. He weighs 55 pounds (24.9 kg) and his color is described as "red fawn." Jack's personality is described as very social, but imperious and stubborn with "a sense of entitlement."