Butch T. Cougar is the mascot

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 Washington State University

Washington State University

Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...

. As his name indicates, Butch is a cougar.

History

Though the cougar was adopted as Washington State University's mascot in 1919 it was not until 1927 when a cougar cub was presented to the student body of Washington State that Butch T. Cougar was born. The cougar was named Butch after Herbert "Butch" Meeker of Spokane, a football star of the day. Butch was represented by a live cougar until 1978 when Butch VI died at age 15. Today Butch is represented by a costumed student. Butch T. Cougar was the 2006 Capital One

Capital One

Capital One Financial Corp. is a U.S.-based bank holding company specializing in credit cards, home loans, auto loans, banking and savings products...

 Mascot of the Year

Duties

The primary duty of Butch is to be an ambassador of WSU. He can be seen roaming the sidelines at home American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 and basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

games leading spirit chants and tossing shirts into the stands. Butch also makes appearances at official University events and other events to promote the image of WSU. The student playing Butch is anonymous throughout the school year. At the last home sporting event of each year, usually the last home basketball game, the student beneath the Butch mask is revealed.

External links

• Butch T. Cougar Homepage