Kansas State, Arizona, Kentucky, Villanova, Northwestern, Davidson, New Hampshire, Weber State, and Bethune-Cookman all have one thing in common — Wildcats as their official mascots.
Using the fourth-most common collegiate mascot — behind the Bulldogs, Eagles, and the Tigers — what is the history behind the Kansas State Wildcats mascot?
Who (or What) Is the Wildcats Mascot?
The very first live mascot on record for Kansas State was actually a black lab named Boscoe. From 1906-1909, Boscoe was a regular at football and baseball games before the school changed its mascot to the Wildcats for the first time in 1915.
A series of live bobcats, all named Touchdown (I-XI), made appearances at games as a representative for the Wildcats starting in 1922.
There hasn’t been a live mascot for Kansas State since the 1980s. Touchdown XI was last reported to be living at Sunset Zoo in Manhattan.
A costumed mascot, initially named Sparky, was introduced in 1947 and began performing at games before its current moniker, Willie the Wildcat, was adopted.
Why Is Wildcats the Mascot?
Kansas State has endured three different mascots on four different occasions, but the Wildcat has remained the university’s symbolic representative for over 100 years.
Initially known as the Aggies, head football coach John Bender, who coached the Washington State Cougars football, baseball, and basketball teams for years prior, changed the name to the Wildcats before the 1915 season.
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Bender had an affinity for big cats as mascots as he was also influential in the University of Houston adopting the Cougars mascot when he ended his collegiate career there as a physical education instructor in the 1920s.
After only staying in Manhattan for one season, posting a pedestrian 3-4-1 record, Bender left for Tennessee, essentially switching jobs with Zora Clevenger, who left Tennessee for Kansas State.
Clevenger, now at the helm at Kansas State, changed the mascot to the Farmers during his tenure (1916-1919), while using Aggies to denote Kansas State was also common during that time.
Charles Bachman took over for Clevenger in 1920 and changed the mascot back to the Wildcats, a moniker that has stood as a symbol for Kansas State ever since.
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