The mascot is one of the most prized and cherished traditions in college sports, such as basketball and American football. They are so loved by their schools that they are sometimes immortalized in statue form. You can see examples of this with the university mascots collection. Some of the most legendary ones that are definitely worthy of having a statue created in their honor are listed below.

Aubie the tiger (Auburn University)
Although cuddly, Aubie is actually a carnivorous and vicious beast. He actually began his life as a cheeky but ferocious cartoon cat all the way back in 1959. He soon went on to become a regular fixture during the next twenty years, leading Auburn University’s American football team to a home record of 63 - 16 - 2. It is for this reason that in 2006, he was added to the College Division’s inaugural National Mascot Hall of Fame.

The Oregon duck (University of Oregon)
When creating their now iconic mascot, the University of Oregon stole the character from Disney in order to make it the face of the school’s program of athletics. As part of the agreement between the two organizations, it was stated that whoever wore the mascot costume and to conduct themselves in a way that is wholesome and in accordance with what people expect from Disney.

Sparty (Michigan State University)
Despite his junior status, Sparty has gained himself somewhat of a reputation in this time. His look closely resembles a George Clooney lookalike that is on steroids and so creates something of a striking image on the sidelines of the field. He is the only person that is not an athlete to feature in the cover of an EA Sports video game when he was on the Wii’s NCAA Football 09 front cover.

Gus the gorilla (Pittsburg State University)
Gus the gorilla was an instant hit with the rambunctious supporters of the school’s athletics program when he was introduced all the way back in the 1920s. The design actually came to life when an art student at the university was commissioned to illustrate the mascot. To this day, Gus remains the only gorilla in the entirety of the world of college mascots. He still remains a much loved fixture at Pittsburg State University and is ever present at a variety of sporting matches.

Bucky badger (University of Wisconsin Madison)
Although he may look like something out of Jim Henson’s attic because of how frightening he is, Bucky does actually mean well. The mascot was first created back in 1930 and was depicted as an angry cartoon badger wearing a white and red striped sweatshirt. On the odd occasion he has even been known to put on a pair of boxing gloves.

Other university mascots that are worth an honorary mention include Sebastian the ibis (University of Miami), YoUDee (University of Delaware), WuShock (Wichita State University), Brutus the buckeye (The Ohio State University), The blue blob (Xavier University) and Gunston (George Mason University).