Indiana University Brings Back “Hoosier The Bison” As Its Mascot
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.–Indiana University has reintroduced the Bison as its official mascot, naming it “Hoosier The Bison.”
The mascot will make its first public appearance on August 30 at the IU football season opener against Old Dominion.
The Bison has a long history in Indiana and at IU, with previous iterations dating back to the 1960s. The return of Hoosier The Bison follows a student government vote and is seen as a symbol of spirit, tradition, and unity for the university.
“While Indiana University stopped utilizing the Bison mascot in an official capacity, starting in the 1970s and subsequent decades that followed, its presence, history at IU, and support from the larger university and Bloomington community were intertwined and never entirely ignored. One of Bloomington’s most popular off-campus restaurants and gameday traditions, Nick’s English Hut, embraced the Bison and still does so to this day. Founded as a sandwich shop in 1927, the nearly 100-year-old establishment began using a version of the IU Bison in its logo in the 1960s (after IU originally adopted the Bison as its official mascot). Also, the university’s heraldic coat of arms, adopted in 1962, displays a crimson bison, sun symbol, open book, and the university’s motto Lux Et Veritas. IU’s Army ROTC Bison Battalion, one of the oldest college ROTC units in the country (dating back to 1917), has displayed the Bison as its moniker-of-choice for decades including today’s campus Bison Battalion ROTC unit. Moreover, during the 1980s and 90s, under Head Coach Bill Mallory, Indiana Football teams wore helmet stickers displaying a black silhouette bison with an IU trident logo. In more recent years, a bison character mascot has also been a part of Little 500 races and College of Arts and Sciences events. This fall , the Marching Hundred will unveil new uniforms, including silver buttons engraved with the Indiana state seal depicting a bison,” the university said in a Monday news release.
