Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt | |
---|---|
Colonel Ebirt giving a 'thumbs up' prior to a Tribe football game. | |
University | The College of William & Mary |
Conference | CAA |
Description | Green and Gold Frog |
Origin of name | "Tribe" spelled backwards |
First seen | 2001-2005 |
Colonel Ebirt was the unofficial school mascot for The College of William & Mary from 2001–2005. [1] A green and gold frog that donned a tri-corner hat, Colonel Ebirt was originally used as a promotional tool for Colonial Williamsburg. It became involved with the College athletics program when someone from the William & Mary gymnastics program volunteered to wear the costume.[1] "Ebirt" is Tribe spelled backwards ("ebirt" is analogous to the more commonly heard frog call "ribit"), and "Colonel" comes from the school's historical and geographical ties to Williamsburg, Virginia, specifically that of Colonial Williamsburg.[2][3]
The athletic department decided to "retire" Ebirt upon the conclusion of the 2005–06 school year.[4] On April 6th, 2010, William and Mary announced that their mascot to replace Ebirt was a griffin.
See also
- Griffin – William & Mary's mascot successor to Colonel Ebirt
- List of U.S. college mascots
References and notes
- 1 2 "Colonel Ebirt is No More". DoG Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ↑ Ed Williams (June 22, 2009), "Wanted: William and Mary mascot. Got an idea?", The Virginian-Pilot
- ↑ "Williamsburg, Virginia", USA Today, 23 April 2007
- ↑ Since Colonel Ebirt was never an official mascot, the term "retire" is used loosely.