From a wheat bundle to a fuzzy orange, take a look at some of the more unique college mascots.
Georgia Tech, Buzz the Yellow Jacket Buzz the Yellow Jacket appeared on the Georgia Tech sidelines in the early 1980s. It was first viewed as an unofficial cheerleader until the squad gave it a permanent spot on the team. Buzz is one of nation's most recognizable mascots, and was named to the 2005 and 2006 Capital One All-American Mascot teams.
Nebraska, Lil' Red It that a doll? An inflatable parade figure? No, it's Nebraska's mascot, Lil' Red. Nebraska actually has two main mascots, Lil' Red and Herbie Husker. Lil' Red won a national mascot competition in 1999.
Wichita State, WuShock At first glance it's difficult to figure out what WuShock the Wichita State mascot is supposed to be. But a quick history lesson on the school offers a reasonable explanation. Wichita State -- which was originally known as Wichita University, or WU for short -- adopted the nickname Shockers because many of the students spent their summer harvesting, or shocking, wheat. So when the school needed to create a mascot, it came up with WuShock, a muscular bundle of wheat.
George Mason University, Gunston Gunston made his first appearance on the George Mason sidelines on Dec. 12, 1995, when he entertained fans during the men's basketball team's matchup with Ohio State. It is named after Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason.
St. Louis University, Billiken Not sure what a Billiken is? You're not alone. The figure is supposed to be a sign of good luck that was first designed by Florence Pretz, a Missouri illustrator, in 1908. The Billiken became a popular figure, inspiring dolls, candies and other oddities to be created in its likeness. How the figure became St. Louis' mascot is a debated issue, however, most theories are linked to former football coach John Bender. One account claims a St. Louis sports writer though Bender resembled a Billiken and drew a caricature of the coach in the form of the figure. The drawing became popular and the team soon became called "Bender's Billikens." Another story says a local store owner once called the football coach a Billiken, a greeting that was overheard by a local sports writer, who then began using the nickname for the coach. A third theory states that one day two spectators at St. Louis observed that the smiling Bender looked like a Billiken. One of the men later drew Bender as a Billiken and posted the drawing in the window of a local store.
Stanford University, The Tree Stanford does not have an official mascot, but the "Tree," which is actually part of the band, takes on the task of entertaining the Cardinal fans. The Tree represents El Palo Alto, the Redwood tree that is the logo of the city of Palo Alto.
Western Kentucky, Big Red Western Kentucky's mascot, Big Red, is a large, furry creature that was designed by student Ralph Carey in 1979. Although bizarre in appearance, Big Red is one of the nation's more popular mascots. Some of its many accolades include being one of only mascots to be named to the first three Capital One All-America Mascot Teams from 2002-04. It made the team again in 2006. Big Red, which was on the ballot for the Raymond Entertainment's Mascot Hall of Fame, has also appeared on NBC's "Deal or No Deal."
Ohio State, Brutus the Buckeye Brutus the Buckeye first appeared on the Ohio State sidelines in 1965. He is supposed to represent the buckeye nut, as the buckeye is the official state tree of Ohio. The mascot went through several designs before the school settled on the current Brutus costume. Early outfits included paper-mache buckeyes.
Wake Forest, Demon Deacon Wake Forest first got the nickname "Demon Deacons" when the editor of the school newspaper used the name to refer to the football team's "devilish" play. The school's news director liked the nickname and began using it. As for the look of the mascot, that came about when the school's original Deacon mascot decided the figure needed to look more like a deacon, so they made the costume more dignified, adding a top hat, tails and an umbrella.
Syracuse, Otto the Orange Syracuse adopted Otto the Orange as its mascot when it needed a new figure to represent the Orangemen. The school's mascot was originally a Native American character named Saltine Warrior. But the figure was replaced in 1978 when Native American students said the mascot stereotypically represented Native Americans. The school then introduced an unpopular Roman gladiator as its new mascot. The school couldn't decided on a mascot for 17 years until the chancellor appointed a group to create a new logo and mascot -- they settled on an orange. The figure later got the name Otto when a group of cheerleaders started using the nickname while attending a camp.
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