[Spiny_Norman]

Cardinal/Tree -- I'd prefer to have a mascot that was more animate.  The idea of an anti-mascot was funnier when I was younger.

A Tree/Sequoia mascot could also be troublesome in a conference with Huskies, Cougars, Bears, Wildcats, etc.  You can imagine what a headline writer might be tempted to do.

[Spiny_Norman]

Cardinal/Tree -- I'd prefer to have a mascot that was more animate.  The idea of an anti-mascot was funnier when I was younger.

A Tree/Sequoia mascot could also be troublesome in a conference with Huskies, Cougars, Bears, Wildcats, etc.  You can imagine what a headline writer might be tempted to do.

[teejers1]

Nice recap/summary, cctop.

I was there and voted for Robber Barons (I always thought the Administration could have just referred to Stanford as "the Barons" if it wanted to make it less insulting).  My second choice was Gryphon (spelled the way you prefer) and think the Admin should have gone that route - thought it finished higher than others in the running.  My recollection is that Administration said "most popular choice NOT adopted.  We'll decide."  Without reference to referendum beyond that.

Steaming manhole covers was definitely "you had to be there" name - but it was also hard to miss around campus.  Don't know if that is still the case or not.

Cardinal was so unsexy and just an Ivy follower name.  WTH?  Be bold.

But alas, over time, "Go Cardinal" has become pretty familiar/comfortable.

[teejers1]

Nice recap/summary, cctop.

I was there and voted for Robber Barons (I always thought the Administration could have just referred to Stanford as "the Barons" if it wanted to make it less insulting).  My second choice was Gryphon (spelled the way you prefer) and think the Admin should have gone that route - thought it finished higher than others in the running.  My recollection is that Administration said "most popular choice NOT adopted.  We'll decide."  Without reference to referendum beyond that.

Steaming manhole covers was definitely "you had to be there" name - but it was also hard to miss around campus.  Don't know if that is still the case or not.

Cardinal was so unsexy and just an Ivy follower name.  WTH?  Be bold.

But alas, over time, "Go Cardinal" has become pretty familiar/comfortable.

[oldalum]

I voted for Robber Barons and it was the winner, but the administration refused to accept it and held another vote with Robber Barons not among the choices. In the second vote, the band was supporting "trees," but the tree vote split between "trees" and "Sequoias" so neither won. At that point the administration decided we would do without an official mascot, which is still the case today I believe: the Cardinal is a color, not a mascot. The band continued with its preferred mascot of the tree. During this period there was some interest in Gryphons, but it disappeared after the Daily published a letter from some small college saying they already had that as their mascot and we shouldn't use it.

addendum: Wikipedia has it right: "The Stanford Tree is the Stanford Band's mascot and the unofficial mascot of Stanford University. Stanford's team name is "Cardinal", referring to the vivid red color (not the common songbird as at several other schools), and the university has never been able to come up with an official mascot."

[oldalum]

I voted for Robber Barons and it was the winner, but the administration refused to accept it and held another vote with Robber Barons not among the choices. In the second vote, the band was supporting "trees," but the tree vote split between "trees" and "Sequoias" so neither won. At that point the administration decided we would do without an official mascot, which is still the case today I believe: the Cardinal is a color, not a mascot. The band continued with its preferred mascot of the tree. During this period there was some interest in Gryphons, but it disappeared after the Daily published a letter from some small college saying they already had that as their mascot and we shouldn't use it.

addendum: Wikipedia has it right: "The Stanford Tree is the Stanford Band's mascot and the unofficial mascot of Stanford University. Stanford's team name is "Cardinal", referring to the vivid red color (not the common songbird as at several other schools), and the university has never been able to come up with an official mascot."

[martyup]

[quote author=cctop link=topic=17703.msg206806#msg206806 date=1508182017]
Cardinal/Tree -- I'd prefer to have a mascot that was more animate.  The idea of an anti-mascot was funnier when I was younger.

A Tree/Sequoia mascot could also be troublesome in a conference with Huskies, Cougars, 59ers, Wildcats, etc.  You can imagine what a headline writer might be tempted to do.
[/quote]

And the Ducks . . .

[martyup]

[quote author=cctop link=topic=17703.msg206806#msg206806 date=1508182017]
Cardinal/Tree -- I'd prefer to have a mascot that was more animate.  The idea of an anti-mascot was funnier when I was younger.

A Tree/Sequoia mascot could also be troublesome in a conference with Huskies, Cougars, 59ers, Wildcats, etc.  You can imagine what a headline writer might be tempted to do.
[/quote]

And the Ducks . . .

[martyup]

Martyup

Do you consider Robber Barrons a weak humorous self-deprecating mascot or a strong humorous...

Just curious.  I always like both that and the Gryphons although Cardinal has grown on me.

I was all in for the Gryphons.  I would have been cool with Barons, without the larceny attached.

[martyup]

Martyup

Do you consider Robber Barrons a weak humorous self-deprecating mascot or a strong humorous...

Just curious.  I always like both that and the Gryphons although Cardinal has grown on me.

I was all in for the Gryphons.  I would have been cool with Barons, without the larceny attached.

[martyup]

I voted for Robber Barons and it was the winner, but the administration refused to accept it and held another vote with Robber Barons not among the choices.

Actually, Robber Barons was only the lead write in choice (with 310 votes) in the October 1981 referendum.  The winner was Cardinal with 970 votes.  The second and third choices were Tree and Gryphon with 826 and 655 votes, respectively.

Source:  https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin...vote------

[martyup]

I voted for Robber Barons and it was the winner, but the administration refused to accept it and held another vote with Robber Barons not among the choices.

Actually, Robber Barons was only the lead write in choice (with 310 votes) in the October 1981 referendum.  The winner was Cardinal with 970 votes.  The second and third choices were Tree and Gryphon with 826 and 655 votes, respectively.

Source:  https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin...vote------

[hayaka]

Robber Barons did win the original vote back in the 70s:

[hayaka]

Robber Barons did win the original vote back in the 70s:

[martyup]

Ah ha!  That explains it.  Thank you.  I wonder how much of the support for Robber Barons was based on animosity towards the administration for axing the Indians.

[martyup]

Ah ha!  That explains it.  Thank you.  I wonder how much of the support for Robber Barons was based on animosity towards the administration for axing the Indians.

[teejers1]

The mind (and memory) is a terrible thing to lose . . .
So plurality but not majority for Cardinal.  Hmm.

[teejers1]

The mind (and memory) is a terrible thing to lose . . .
So plurality but not majority for Cardinal.  Hmm.

[TreesAndBirds]

Suggestions for favorite non Stanford mascots?

I always enjoyed my home town Terrapins with the Fear the Turtle motto. Non threatening and unique like the Tree, although their uniforms dont do it for me. Understand that many will view it as only a half step above the Banana Slug, but similar to the Ducks.

Variations of bears, wolves, horses, tigers, lions, eagles and indigenous people dont do it for me either as not unique enough.

[TreesAndBirds]

Suggestions for favorite non Stanford mascots?

I always enjoyed my home town Terrapins with the Fear the Turtle motto. Non threatening and unique like the Tree, although their uniforms dont do it for me. Understand that many will view it as only a half step above the Banana Slug, but similar to the Ducks.

Variations of bears, wolves, horses, tigers, lions, eagles and indigenous people dont do it for me either as not unique enough.

[JJJ]

I believe I voted for Gryphons (for the same reason as the athletes who supported it).
Instead, it was: "Go Cardinal! It's not the bird, it's not the sin, it's not the papal emissary. It's just the color! Go Cardinal!"
8)

[JJJ]

I believe I voted for Gryphons (for the same reason as the athletes who supported it).
Instead, it was: "Go Cardinal! It's not the bird, it's not the sin, it's not the papal emissary. It's just the color! Go Cardinal!"
8)

[hayaka]

Suggestions for favorite non Stanford mascots?

I always enjoyed my home town Terrapins with the Fear the Turtle motto. Non threatening and unique like the Tree, although their uniforms dont do it for me. Understand that many will view it as only a half step above the Banana Slug, but similar to the Ducks.

Variations of 59ers, wolves, horses, tigers, lions, eagles and indigenous people dont do it for me either as not unique enough.

Wake Forest's "Demon Deacons".  For a school founded by Baptists to choose a satanic clergyman as their mascot shows amazing chutzpah, IMO.

[hayaka]

Suggestions for favorite non Stanford mascots?

I always enjoyed my home town Terrapins with the Fear the Turtle motto. Non threatening and unique like the Tree, although their uniforms dont do it for me. Understand that many will view it as only a half step above the Banana Slug, but similar to the Ducks.

Variations of 59ers, wolves, horses, tigers, lions, eagles and indigenous people dont do it for me either as not unique enough.

Wake Forest's "Demon Deacons".  For a school founded by Baptists to choose a satanic clergyman as their mascot shows amazing chutzpah, IMO.

[Cadwallon]

I've always been a bit confused by this subject.  Is the mascot something you choose to admire or dishonor?  It may have something to do with the sense of humor of the group or thing involved.  The Votre Dame mascot depiction has always looked to me like some sort of simian in a bowler hat.  It is very similar to newspaper cartoon depictions of the Irish in the nineteenth century.  I have some right to address this issue as my Irish Catholic grandmother had the KKK burn a cross in front of her house. 

I too was at Stanford when the mascot change was made.  Given the dichotomy in what feelings the mascot is supposed to evoke I came up with two suggestions.  The first being the Gryphons.  Gryphons can't possibly be insulted because they never existed and the depiction looks rather classy.  I have some personal background here as well.  My paternal grandfather was born near Greifswald in Pomerania.  Greifswald means Griffin's Woods. (It has a well renowned university which was the oldest in Sweden when it was in Sweden.) The rulers of the former country of Pomerania were known as the Griffin Dukes.  I would have suggested Pomeranians as a mascot name, but it doesn't quite fit the powerful image one would like to convey. 

That did it for "admire" half of the dichotomy.  For the "dishonor" half I suggested the Stanford Lice.  Before you react too strongly to this, I have to remind you that both the men's basketball and football teams were pretty lousy at the time.  So, the term was nothing if not descriptive.

I have always thought that the one redeeming feature of the Toejams was their choice of a mascot name.  There haven't been any Trojans around to feel honored or insulted since probably before Romulus and Remus founded Rome.  Thus it was a pretty safe choice, except, of course, that the Trojans were really big losers.  This got me to thinking of long lost peoples who might be satisfactory mascots.  The Gepids were pretty good except that they were pretty big losers as well.  I think a very interesting choice would be the Stanford Tocharians.  The Tocharians need a bit notoriety anyway.  Very few have heard of them.  They appear to have been red-haired cousins to the Celts who got lost and ended up in Sinkiang (or Xinjiang) in China.  They practiced a type of Buddhism similar to the Tibetans and that's certainly pretty trendy.  And, they managed to have two different languages, quite a symbol of sophistication.  Besides their red hair kind of goes with the cardinal color and since nobody really knows what a Tocharian looked like, the possibilities are endless.  Therefore, my current vote goes for the Stanford Tocharians.

[Cadwallon]

I've always been a bit confused by this subject.  Is the mascot something you choose to admire or dishonor?  It may have something to do with the sense of humor of the group or thing involved.  The Votre Dame mascot depiction has always looked to me like some sort of simian in a bowler hat.  It is very similar to newspaper cartoon depictions of the Irish in the nineteenth century.  I have some right to address this issue as my Irish Catholic grandmother had the KKK burn a cross in front of her house. 

I too was at Stanford when the mascot change was made.  Given the dichotomy in what feelings the mascot is supposed to evoke I came up with two suggestions.  The first being the Gryphons.  Gryphons can't possibly be insulted because they never existed and the depiction looks rather classy.  I have some personal background here as well.  My paternal grandfather was born near Greifswald in Pomerania.  Greifswald means Griffin's Woods. (It has a well renowned university which was the oldest in Sweden when it was in Sweden.) The rulers of the former country of Pomerania were known as the Griffin Dukes.  I would have suggested Pomeranians as a mascot name, but it doesn't quite fit the powerful image one would like to convey. 

That did it for "admire" half of the dichotomy.  For the "dishonor" half I suggested the Stanford Lice.  Before you react too strongly to this, I have to remind you that both the men's basketball and football teams were pretty lousy at the time.  So, the term was nothing if not descriptive.

I have always thought that the one redeeming feature of the Toejams was their choice of a mascot name.  There haven't been any Trojans around to feel honored or insulted since probably before Romulus and Remus founded Rome.  Thus it was a pretty safe choice, except, of course, that the Trojans were really big losers.  This got me to thinking of long lost peoples who might be satisfactory mascots.  The Gepids were pretty good except that they were pretty big losers as well.  I think a very interesting choice would be the Stanford Tocharians.  The Tocharians need a bit notoriety anyway.  Very few have heard of them.  They appear to have been red-haired cousins to the Celts who got lost and ended up in Sinkiang (or Xinjiang) in China.  They practiced a type of Buddhism similar to the Tibetans and that's certainly pretty trendy.  And, they managed to have two different languages, quite a symbol of sophistication.  Besides their red hair kind of goes with the cardinal color and since nobody really knows what a Tocharian looked like, the possibilities are endless.  Therefore, my current vote goes for the Stanford Tocharians.

[Mick]

[quote author=Treebound link=topic=17703.msg206748#msg206748 date=1508168032]
Thanks for the history Martyup. 

I have always wondered where those two Gryphon statues went after they put in "Near-iallga" gym. 

Perhaps you can shine some light on another rumor: we heard in 1982 (as freshmen) that "Steaming Manhole Covers" was also in the running for mascot.

I seem to recall that name.  There were several disrespectful mascot names floating around.  I always thought that the choice of Cardinal was a cop out.  There were an equal or greater number of students that wanted a weak humorous self deprecating mascot name as those who wanted a strong majestic mascot name.  The students that wanted a joke mascot were not into athletics, and were even hostile to competitive sports.  The ones that would be out there shedding blood, sweat, and tears for their school, themselves, and their teammates didn't want to do it as a Banana Slug or similar moniker.
[/quote]

As both a former Santa Cruz resident and a player on the opposing side, please note that UC-Santa Cruz joined NCAA Division III in 1981 and their mascot was the Sea Lion  The Banana Slugs was the mascot of their club soccer team dating from 1974.  The students hated the Sea Lions, so they voted in the irreverent Banana Slug as their mascot in 1986.  The chancellor at the time didn't like the nickname and pronounced that only the athletes should be able to select the nickname.  The athletes voted for "Banana Slugs" too. 

As far as the students being hostile to competitive sports...UCSC had a big athletic department deficit, and asked the students to vote on whether they would prefer to raise fees versus drop the athletic program.  To the administration's collective surprise, 63% of the students voted to raise fees.

[Mick]

[quote author=Treebound link=topic=17703.msg206748#msg206748 date=1508168032]
Thanks for the history Martyup. 

I have always wondered where those two Gryphon statues went after they put in "Near-iallga" gym. 

Perhaps you can shine some light on another rumor: we heard in 1982 (as freshmen) that "Steaming Manhole Covers" was also in the running for mascot.

I seem to recall that name.  There were several disrespectful mascot names floating around.  I always thought that the choice of Cardinal was a cop out.  There were an equal or greater number of students that wanted a weak humorous self deprecating mascot name as those who wanted a strong majestic mascot name.  The students that wanted a joke mascot were not into athletics, and were even hostile to competitive sports.  The ones that would be out there shedding blood, sweat, and tears for their school, themselves, and their teammates didn't want to do it as a Banana Slug or similar moniker.
[/quote]

As both a former Santa Cruz resident and a player on the opposing side, please note that UC-Santa Cruz joined NCAA Division III in 1981 and their mascot was the Sea Lion  The Banana Slugs was the mascot of their club soccer team dating from 1974.  The students hated the Sea Lions, so they voted in the irreverent Banana Slug as their mascot in 1986.  The chancellor at the time didn't like the nickname and pronounced that only the athletes should be able to select the nickname.  The athletes voted for "Banana Slugs" too. 

As far as the students being hostile to competitive sports...UCSC had a big athletic department deficit, and asked the students to vote on whether they would prefer to raise fees versus drop the athletic program.  To the administration's collective surprise, 63% of the students voted to raise fees.

[oldalum]

the October 1981 referendum.
Source:  https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin...vote------

I wasn't aware of the 1981 vote, thanks for citing (I was referring to the original one). But now I'm confused: is the Cardinal the official "mascot" of the university? What happened after this advisory vote? How can you have an intangible? Could "truth" or "intellectual brutality" be our mascot?

[oldalum]

the October 1981 referendum.
Source:  https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin...vote------

I wasn't aware of the 1981 vote, thanks for citing (I was referring to the original one). But now I'm confused: is the Cardinal the official "mascot" of the university? What happened after this advisory vote? How can you have an intangible? Could "truth" or "intellectual brutality" be our mascot?

[82lsju]

[quote author=martyup link=topic=17703.msg206849#msg206849 date=1508195498]
the October 1981 referendum.
Source:  https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin...vote------

I wasn't aware of the 1981 vote, thanks for citing (I was referring to the original one). But now I'm confused: is the Cardinal the official "mascot" of the university? What happened after this advisory vote? How can you have an intangible? Could "truth" or "intellectual brutality" be our mascot?
[/quote]

The Mascot: There is no official mascot at Stanford University. The "Tree," which is a member of the Stanford Band, is representative of El Palo Alto, the Redwood tree which is the logo of the city of Palo Alto. Since Stanford University and Palo Alto are almost inextricably intertwined in interests and location, it is a natural outgrowth of this relationship. The tree still exists and stands by the railroad bridge beside San Francisquito Creek – it is the site where early explorers first camped when settling the area.

http://www.gostanford.com/sports/2013/4/...45366.aspx

[82lsju]

[quote author=martyup link=topic=17703.msg206849#msg206849 date=1508195498]
the October 1981 referendum.
Source:  https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin...vote------

I wasn't aware of the 1981 vote, thanks for citing (I was referring to the original one). But now I'm confused: is the Cardinal the official "mascot" of the university? What happened after this advisory vote? How can you have an intangible? Could "truth" or "intellectual brutality" be our mascot?
[/quote]

The Mascot: There is no official mascot at Stanford University. The "Tree," which is a member of the Stanford Band, is representative of El Palo Alto, the Redwood tree which is the logo of the city of Palo Alto. Since Stanford University and Palo Alto are almost inextricably intertwined in interests and location, it is a natural outgrowth of this relationship. The tree still exists and stands by the railroad bridge beside San Francisquito Creek – it is the site where early explorers first camped when settling the area.

http://www.gostanford.com/sports/2013/4/...45366.aspx