[Griffins78]

Stanford organized a campus wide vote when I was a student, I think it was 1981.  The three choices on the ballot were Cardinals, Sequoias and Gryphons (Encina Gym had two griffin statues in front of it so this was recognized as the athletes' choice).  However write in candidates Robber Barons and Thunder Chickens did very well. 

After the election, President Kennedy informed us that it was only an advisory vote and that the school nickname would be Cardinal singular, in the great tradition of the Harvard Crimson, Cornell Big Red and Dartmouth Big Green.  I always expected there to be something after Cardinal, like the Stanford Cardinal Numbers or the Stanford Cardinal Sins.  Yet here we are 30 years later, still the Cardinal. 

The CardBoard FAQs on the nickname history - http://thecardboard.org/faq.html#cardinal

Your're right about the vote - but it was in 1975 (see the Stanford website: http://www.gostanford.com/school-bio/sta...ascot.html). Perhaps our FAQ should reflect those details. The way I recall it - the Student Body voted for Robber Barons. The Band voted for Trees. And the Athletic Department voted for Griffins (I was one of them). Kennedy rejected them all. So all we had was the color - not a mascot. It was all part of what made Stanford unique and well, Stanford. And the Band had a Stanford Tree. The first one was a woman and to this day - she is still the best Tree.

[Griffins78]

Stanford organized a campus wide vote when I was a student, I think it was 1981.  The three choices on the ballot were Cardinals, Sequoias and Gryphons (Encina Gym had two griffin statues in front of it so this was recognized as the athletes' choice).  However write in candidates Robber Barons and Thunder Chickens did very well. 

After the election, President Kennedy informed us that it was only an advisory vote and that the school nickname would be Cardinal singular, in the great tradition of the Harvard Crimson, Cornell Big Red and Dartmouth Big Green.  I always expected there to be something after Cardinal, like the Stanford Cardinal Numbers or the Stanford Cardinal Sins.  Yet here we are 30 years later, still the Cardinal. 

The CardBoard FAQs on the nickname history - http://thecardboard.org/faq.html#cardinal

Your're right about the vote - but it was in 1975 (see the Stanford website: http://www.gostanford.com/school-bio/sta...ascot.html). Perhaps our FAQ should reflect those details. The way I recall it - the Student Body voted for Robber Barons. The Band voted for Trees. And the Athletic Department voted for Griffins (I was one of them). Kennedy rejected them all. So all we had was the color - not a mascot. It was all part of what made Stanford unique and well, Stanford. And the Band had a Stanford Tree. The first one was a woman and to this day - she is still the best Tree.