Rhett the Boston Terrier
Encyclopedia
Rhett is the official costumed mascot
of the Boston University
(BU) and the Boston University Academy
(BUA)Terriers and has been the BU mascot since 1922. The often snarling, bi-pedal black and white Boston Terrier
was named after the male lead in Margaret Mitchell
's Gone with the Wind
, because "No one loves Scarlett more than Rhett" referencing Rhett Butler
's affection for Scarlett O'Hara
(scarlet
is BU's primary color). In recent years Rhett has frequented Boston University games, events, and dining halls wearing his scarlet and white double-zero hockey jersey. Other outfits include a basketball jersey and a referee uniform (typically worn during the short youth hockey games that take place during ice hockey intermissions). However, he is also known to enjoy wearing his scarlet superhero cape when the occasion presents itself. Like all mascots, Rhett and the Terrier logo are ubiquitous at athletic events. The Terriers play varsity Division I intercollegiate sports in ten men's and twelve women's programs. Rhett's arch nemesis is Baldwin, the Boston College
eagle.
Rhett has participated in several ESPN
"This is SportsCenter
" commercials and competed three times in the Universal Cheerleading Association's mascot nationals, placing as high as fourth in 2002. He was also named an All-American in 1996 and "Boston's Top Mascot" in 1998.
In 2006, BU's athletic logo featuring Rhett was altered slightly during a department-wide rebranding. Rhett's mascot character also received a makeover, favoring more cartoonish characteristics.
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 Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
(BU) and the Boston University Academy
Boston University Academy
Boston University Academy is private high school operated by Boston University. Founded in 1993 and located on the Boston University campus, the Academy is geared toward college preparatory work...
(BUA)Terriers and has been the BU mascot since 1922. The often snarling, bi-pedal black and white Boston Terrier
Boston Terrier
The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. This "American Gentleman" was accepted in 1893 by the American Kennel Club as a non-sporting breed. Color and markings are important when distinguishing this breed to the AKC standard. They should be either black,...
was named after the male lead in Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...
's Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
, because "No one loves Scarlett more than Rhett" referencing Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.-Role:In the beginning of the novel, we first meet Rhett at the Twelve Oaks Plantation barbecue, the home of John Wilkes and his son Ashley and daughters Honey and India Wilkes...
's affection for Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name...
(scarlet
Scarlet (color)
Scarlet is a bright red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is redder than vermilion. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel one-fourth of the way between red and orange. Scarlet is sometimes used as the color of flame...
is BU's primary color). In recent years Rhett has frequented Boston University games, events, and dining halls wearing his scarlet and white double-zero hockey jersey. Other outfits include a basketball jersey and a referee uniform (typically worn during the short youth hockey games that take place during ice hockey intermissions). However, he is also known to enjoy wearing his scarlet superhero cape when the occasion presents itself. Like all mascots, Rhett and the Terrier logo are ubiquitous at athletic events. The Terriers play varsity Division I intercollegiate sports in ten men's and twelve women's programs. Rhett's arch nemesis is Baldwin, the Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
eagle.
Rhett has participated in several ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
"This is SportsCenter
This is SportsCenter
This is SportsCenter is the name of a series of comical television commercials run by ESPN to promote their SportsCenter sports news show. The ads are presented in a deadpan mockumentary style, lampooning various aspects of sports, and sports broadcasting. The commercials debuted in 1994...
" commercials and competed three times in the Universal Cheerleading Association's mascot nationals, placing as high as fourth in 2002. He was also named an All-American in 1996 and "Boston's Top Mascot" in 1998.
In 2006, BU's athletic logo featuring Rhett was altered slightly during a department-wide rebranding. Rhett's mascot character also received a makeover, favoring more cartoonish characteristics.