I Doubt An Eagle Would Ever Do It With A Lion, But...

Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the College of William & Mary is the second oldest institution of higher education in this country (after Harvard). Its undergraduate program is consistently ranked in the top ten nationally.

Until 1977, the athletics teams were known as the Indians. In 1978, the school changed the name to the less offensive Tribe, although they retained two feathers in the logo, harkening back to the school’s former nickname.

Then the NCAA stepped in and said that the feathers in the logo could be considered offensive to Native Americans, and the school’s appeal was denied. So the feathers went away and a new logo was revealed in December 2007.

In 2009, the current William & Mary president, Taylor Reveley convened a committee of current students, alumni, faculty and staff to spearhead the efforts to create a mascot for the campus. It was supposed to be a “unifying, fun figure on campus.”

The selection, which was unveiled on Tuesday: Griffin, a griffin.

A griffin, for those who don’t know their mythology, is a beast with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion.

According to Reveley, “With its arrival, we now have a mascot that unites strength with intelligence, recalls our royal origins, and speaks to our deep roots in American history.”

That sounds nice.

But it looks like a cartoony mess.

Personally, I don’t know if I would have gone in this direction, although I guess it beats the other finalists: A pug (!), a phoenix, a wren, and a king and queen.

I understand wanting to keep the nickname Tribe. It’s unique to William & Mary and fosters a sense of community for the campus.

But the mascot and accompanying logo are a serious fail.

As usual, the decision comes down to money. Just having the W&M on t-shirts was not moving enough product for the school, so they went ahead a created a mascot.

(Yes, I am aware that there was a costumed figure for W&M prior to Griffin called Colonel Ebirt that was running around campus during the early 2000s. He has been retired and he was unofficial anyway.)

Not every school is meant to have a logo and mascot. I think a school can survive without one.

But at the very least, if you’re going to go with a griffin, then I think you should go all in and change the nickname as well.

And the nickname I’m thinking of, while not wholly original, is fitting for a team in Williamsburg, Virginia:

The Colonials.