Lobo (New Mexico Mascot)
Encyclopedia
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 University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
. Lobo
Lobo
-Wolf:*Lobo, Spanish and Portuguese for wolf , especially:**Lobo, Mexican Wolf **Lobo, Iberian Wolf *Lobo , University of New Mexico mascot-Places:...
, the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word for "wolf," was suggested by George S. Bryan, a sophomore at UNM, in 1920.
"The Lobo is respected for his cunning, feared for his prowess, and is the leader of the pack," read Bryan's editorial in the Oct. 1, 1920 issue of the UNM student newspaper. "... All together now; 15 rahs for the LOBOS."
The Lobo became the official mascot of the school. For a brief period in the 1920's, a live wolf pup appeared at every football game, but UNM administrators were forced to cease the practice when a child teased the wolf and was subsequently bitten.
The Daily Lobo is the name of UNM's daily campus newspaper.
Human mascots, dubbed "Lobo Louie" and "Lobo Lucy," currently rouse crowds at New Mexico athletic events. During Fran Fraschilla
Fran Fraschilla
-External links:*...
's short coaching tenure at UNM there was a small "Baby Lobo" mascot who appeared at men's basketball games but the Baby Lobo, in reality Fraschilla's son, left when Fraschilla quit the program. The Lobo was present at every Lobo home game, even those that started at 10 p.m. on a school night.
For some years in the 1980s, a popular chant among Lobo fans was, "Everyone's a Lobo, Woof Woof Woof!" Coach Dave Bliss
Dave Bliss
Dave Bliss is a former American college basketball coach. He coached at University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University, University of New Mexico and Baylor University...
phased out the cheer shortly after his arrival in the early 1990s. In recent years, however, the cheer has slowly started to resurface, and the UNM student section have begun using the chant more and more at Lobo sporting events.
Statues
There are three Lobo statues on the central campus of UNM: the first, sculpted by Michelle Middleton, is located in a grove of pine trees overlooking the intersection of Central and University at the southwest corner of campus. The second is a Lobo head emerging out of the ground located in front of Hodgin Hall. The third, sculpted by John Tatschl, is located atop a pedestal at the intersection of Stanford and Redondo and is dedicated to the UNM students and alumni who gave their lives in World War II. This statue was formerly located in front of Zimmerman FieldZimmerman Field
Zimmerman Field was a stadium located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It opened in 1938 and hosted the University of New Mexico Lobos football team until they moved to University Stadium in 1960...
.