"The Wildcat"

The University of New Hampshire was first established in 1866, originally being known as the “New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts” in association with Dartmouth College. In 1893 the Durham campus opened, but it was not until 1926 that the school adopted the “Wildcats” as a nickname. Before then the hockey team was called the “Durham Bulls” but it wasn’t the official school mascot. In 1926 the school newspaper, The New Hampshire, had a student vote in order to choose an official mascot. The “Wildcats” barely beat out “The Durham Bulls” for the title. Other names that received votes were the eagles, huskies, and the unicorns. Thank god that we’re not the “Unicorns” or I would not be a student here. People argued that the “Wildcats” fit the school well because it is “small and aggressive” like the hockey team was at the time.  Another argument was that a live wildcat would be much easier to transport than a bull. So there you go, the wildcat was chosen as the school nickname partially because it would accommodate having a live animal. I think that it is a shame that the school no longer has a live mascot, it is a disgrace to our rich past.  

Until next time. Tell you friends.