Mascot Madness Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Banana Slug

A Banana Slug can race 100 yards in a mere two hours. The fearsome slug is known to attack intruders into its territory. In 1992, the Banana Slug topped a National Directory of Athletics' poll as the number one college mascot.

Answer: Student Princes

Not surprisingly, in a poll done by Heidelberg's athletic director, students indicated a preference for changing the school's embarrassing mascot. In the quiz author's opinion, a young person might be inhibited about attending a college in a town named "Tiffin", whose student athletes go by the name of the "Student Princes". "Tiffin" is a Provincial English word denoting a light repast between breakfast and dinner (What a provincial American might call "lunch").

The town was named after the first governor of Ohio, first Governor of Ohio, Edward Tiffin.

Answer: Anteater

Two members of the school's water polo team initially conceived the name, which was based on the anteater in Johnny Hart's "B.C." cartoon strip. A cheerleader with the improbable name of Schuyler Bassett III, led the successful campaign.

Answer: All of these

In 1897, four students prevailed on the newly opened university, which was located in Waco, Texas, to choose an interesting, local native lizard to be the university's mascot. This "lizard" was known as the "Horned Frog". It possesses a rudimentary third eye and has been chosen as Texas's state reptile. Native Americans apparently revered the "frogs", and considered them powerful.

**Bonus Trivia** Texas has no less than 19 official state symbols.

Answer: A philosophical difference between students and school administrator

According to the schools website, the artichoke became the school mascot as a result of "philosophical differences", and is now beloved. In the early 1970s, Scottsdale Community College officials diverted money that the student council had voted to be used, for eleven scholarships for a local Indian tribe, to recruit out of state college athletes. In protest, the students held an election for a school mascot in which the choices were the Artichoke, the Rutabaga, and the Scoundrel. The Artichoke prevailed. The Arabic word from which "artichoke" derives, has nothing to do with choking.

Answer: Wonder Boys

Amazingly, the Wonder Boys finished third in the National Directory of Athletics' mascots poll, finishing behind only the Banana Slugs and the Stormy Petrels. The Green Terror is the mascot for McDaniels College; the Jumbos are from Tufts; and the Thunderducks hail from Richland College.

Answer: The Demon Deacons

Wake Forest's original mascot was a tiger. In the 1920s, a school newspaper editor coined the name "Demon Deacons" to describe the school basketball team's spirited play. Since the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan are a Division II team, presumably the "Bishops" never have the opportunity to wrestle with the demonized "Deacons".

Answer: A pick and t-square

South Dakota Tech has passed on the obvious opportunity to modernize its mascot, preferring the traditional grubby miner image. Perhaps this accounts for the Hardrockers reaching only 13th place in the National Directory of College Athletics voting for best mascot.

Answer: All of these

The geoduck is a long-lived, burrowing mollusk. The geoduck is the most massive mollusk known and the geoduck biomass in Puget Sound is estimated to be 500 million pounds. Considered a delicacy in the Fareast, geoduck meat can sell for up to $30 per pound.

The geoduck industry is tightly regulated with a view toward protecting the mollusks, and it is reputedly easier to smuggle heroin than geoduck meat out of Puget Sound.

Answer: The Ichabods

"US News and World Report" chose Washburn University as a "Best College" for 2004. Clearly, mascot name is not given great weight in the evaluation process. Founded as "Lincoln College" in 1865, the school was renamed "Washburn College" in 1868. In addition to having his last name become the name of the college, Mr. Washburn's first name became the nickname for the men's athletic teams and the Washburn family crest became the crest for the college.