Marshall University’s mascot, Marco, is one of the most iconic mascots in college sports. However, his journey to becoming the face of the Thundering Herd wasn’t easy. Here’s everything you need to know about the adorable mascot of the Marshall Thundering Herd, Marco the Bison.
What Is the Marshall Thundering Herd Mascot?
Marco the Bison represents Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He’s an anthropomorphic American bison wearing the school’s green-and-white home uniform. The name “Marco” is a tribute to the school’s past as Marshall College. The College held the title until 1961. Even after the upgrade to university status, the mascot’s name stuck.
The Origin Story
Marshall’s early teams didn’t start with a bison. When the school trained teachers with two-year degrees, they went by “Indians” or “Normalists.” In 1903, the colors shifted from black and blue to green and white, earning the nickname “Big Green.” That label lingered for years. Then, in the 1930s, the student body brought in a real bison from Oklahoma’s Marland 101 Ranch.
Around the same time, a sports editor at The Herald-Dispatch, Duke Ridgley, pushed a new idea. Inspired by Zane Grey’s novel The Thundering Herd and its 1925 silent film, Ridgley tied the name to the bison that once roamed the Ohio Valley near Huntington.
Not everyone agreed. The student newspaper pitched “Judges” to honor Chief Justice John Marshall, the school’s namesake. The Huntington Advertiser suggested “Boogiecats”, a nod to a Scottish wildcat, akin to a U.S. mountain lion. Ridgley’s “Thundering Herd” won out in the end.
The Mascot Tug-of-War
However, “Big Green” vs “Thundering Herd” battle wasn’t over yet. In 1958, students voted on three options: Thundering Herd, Big Green, and Green Gobblers. Big Green took the win, yet many still called the team the Herd. By 1964, Dr. Stewart Smith, the university president, reopened the vote.
This time, it was Thundering Herd, Big Green, or Rams, backed by a former alumni president’s mascot idea, Sam the Ram. On January 5, 1965, over 85 percent chose Thundering Herd. Big Green became the name of the athletic scholarship foundation, and the other contenders faded away.
Marco’s Evolution
Marco first appeared in costume in 1954, but his roots trace back further. In the 1930s, a rugged, four-legged bison made of papier-mâché debuted in a homecoming parade skit. By the 1950s, Marco morphed into a costumed figure in a full football uniform. Over time, he got furrier, added a vest in the 1980s, and settled into his modern look.
He wasn’t always alone, either. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a real bison joined Marco at games. One memorable moment came in 1971 when the live bison broke free on the field, delaying a kickoff until handlers caged him again. That bison later retired to Camden Park’s petting zoo.
The 1970s brought more mascots. Marsha, a female counterpart, arrived in 1973 amid the women’s liberation movement but vanished by the decade’s end. In 1979-80, the women’s basketball team introduced Buffy, a green-furred bison with a beanie, and Bouncy, a walking basketball with oversized eyes. Both flopped and disappeared after one season.
Marco’s Highlights
Marco hit a peak in 1992, winning the National Mascot Championship and outshining Western Kentucky’s “Big Red.” According to Mascot lore, he’s said to hold a master’s in Sports Administration, with minors in psychology, and once took a gap year to fish in the Great Lakes. There, he met Marsha on a Lake Superior tour.
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She briefly joined him as a mascot before retiring to pursue digital design, leaving Marco to lead the cheers solo.
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