Will March Madness produce mascot mayhem? Some schools have history of bad behavior

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Trouble lurks as the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments get underway this week.

College mascots, though typically well behaved, have tangled with the police, security guards and each other at sporting events during incidents that have led to arrests, ejections and suspensions.

But costumed troublemakers might have met their match − NCAA officials overseeing March Madness.

Tennessee’s mascot, Smokey the Bluetick Coonhound dog, was ejected in 1996 before tipoff at the women’s national championship game after kicking the stuffing out of a toy bulldog before the Georgia Bulldogs played the Volunteers. The tipoff was delayed for cleanup.

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Stanford’s mascot, the Tree, was ejected in 2006 at halftime of Stanford’s game against Florida State in the second round of the women’s tournament for an on-court altercation with tournament officials, according to a report in SFGate.com. The NCAA suspended the Tree for the rest of the tournament, banned the mascot from participating in the women's tournament the following year and fined the school an undisclosed sum, according to SFGate.

"It’s through these (incidents) we’ve seen the mascots become more and more restricted on the court," said Erin Blank, who from 1987 to 1991 served as Kutztown University’s mascot, Avalanche the Golden Bear, and now coaches mascots.

The NCAA provided USA TODAY Sports some of the rules for mascots, such as: no conversing with game officials, no blocking the view of participants and the media and no venturing beyond the free throw areas when on the court during timeouts.

"We have guidelines in place in order to conduct safe and enjoyable championships,'' the NCAA said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. 

When games are underway at the NCAA tournaments, the costumed mascots must sit or kneel in a “box’’ on the baseline that measures about four feet by four feet. Rules allow for only limited interaction between the mascots. And positively no trampolines or other apparatus used for dunking.

"They’re not giving mascots an opportunity to really perform," said Adam DeVault, who served as Tennessee’s mascot for men's athletics from 1996 to 2000 and has worked with college mascots for the past two decades. "Our job is to stay in motion, stay active and stay entertaining, and during the tournament you obviously can’t do that."

Mascot motto: Ask for forgiveness, not permission

Strict adherence to the rules does not come naturally to college mascots, suggested Charlie Newton, who as Florida’s mascot Albert Gator attended the men’s Final Four in 2014.

"I think all college mascots tend to have a propensity for hijinks because that’s kind of the fun side of doing that," Newton told USA TODAY Sports. "And in general, the big lesson learned is, it’s usually better to ask for forgiveness than permission. That tends to be the motto."

During regular season games, Newton said, he had “free rein’’ of Florida’s home. No such luck at the Final Four. Kind of stuck behind the cheerleaders is how Newton remembers his baseline spot, where he watched Florida lose to Connecticut in the semifinals.

Florida is one of several schools with two mascots, but the NCAA allows just one per school. (Alberta the Gator stayed home that year.)

Drew Davis, who between 2015 and 2019 served as Michigan State's mascot, Sparty the Spartan, attended the 2019 Final Four in Minneapolis. Of the cozy confines on the baseline, he said, "The best mascots improvise, adapt and overcome.''

Distinguished by Sparty's oversized foam head and massive biceps, Davis said he tried to connect with spectators from afar. He had limited time. Michigan State lost to Texas Tech in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Virginia prevailed over Auburn, whose mascot, Aubie the Tiger, is known for making creative use of its tail.

San Diego State arrived at the 2023 Final Four with no mascot.

The school retired Aztec Warrior as its mascot in 2018 after it was deemed culturally insensitive to Native Americans. But that did not spare Aztec Warrior in 2021, when he was ranked second in a survey of the "most offensive" and "creepiest" college mascots in America. The school has not discussed adding a new mascot, said Jamie McConeghy, Senior Associate Athletic Director at San Diego State.

Stanford's Tree, Oregon's Duck in crosshairs

Despite the NCAA’s restrictions, there’s still the chance for an unscripted mascot fight or other high-profile incident, said DeVault, the former Tennessee mascot.

"It could happen very easily," DeVault said, noting that mascots from smaller schools with less training could pose the biggest risk.

But if any mascot mayhem breaks out, DeVault said, he expects it to be the Stanford Tree or Oregon’s Duck, affectionately known as Puddles. Both mascots have a checkered past.

Since 2006, three Stanford students who served as the Tree were suspended. One was suspended in February 2006 for being drunk on the job at a regular-season men's basketball game. Another was suspended the following month for antics during a women's 2006 NCAA Tournamentl game. The third was suspended in 2022 after he unfurled a banner that read “STANFORD HATES FUN’’ during a football game.

Russ Gavin, who in his seventh year as Stanford’s band director oversees the Tree, said of anything that might go awry with the mascot, “Oh, it’s on brand. And I think it’s by design.’’

Oregon’s mascot was temporarily escorted off the court in 2003 at an NCAA men’s tournament game after a kerfuffle. And in 2007, the mascot was suspended for a game following an altercation with Houston’s mascot, Shasta the cougar, during the football team’s season opener.

Teigh Bowen, who said he was one of two students who served as the mascot during the 2007 football game against Houston said, “The administration does support the Duck kind of having his own agenda and pushing the envelope.’’

Jordan Zietz, the former Tree who was suspended for the "STANFORD HATES FUN'' banner, hinted that he and the Oregon Duck had some after-hours fun in Las Vegas at the 2023 men's and women's Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament.

"The Stanford Tree is always the one that comes up with bad ideas," Zietz told USA TODAY Sports, "and the Oregon Duck is always the one who says, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ I love the Ducks."

Big payday for some pro mascots

YouTube is home to mascot hijinks and foul play such as Ohio's mascot, Rufus the Bobcat, tackling Ohio State's mascot, Brutus the Buckeye; the Jackson State mascot, Wavee Dave the tiger, getting hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for joining players in the end zone for a touchdown celebration; and Cincinnati's mascot, the Bearcat, hurling snowballs.

The top players in the tournament aren’t the only ones who’ll go pro. So are mascots.

Tim Patnode, who was serving as the Tennessee mascot for women's athletics when he was ejected from the 1996 NCAA title game, went pro. He served as the team mascot for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks from 1998 to 2022.

DeVault, the former Tennessee Smokey for men's athletics, has served as the team mascot for the NHL’s Nashville Predators for almost 10 years. The payoff for going pro? “I live in a gated community with our players on a golf course,’’ he said.

The Sports Business Journal reported in 2022 that Denver Nuggets’ mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, makes $625,000 a year, Harry the Hawk of the Atlanta Hawks makes $600,000 a year, Benny the Bull of the Chicago Bulls makes $400,000 and Go the Gorilla of the Phoenix Suns makes $200,000.

A high-profile mascot fight could jeopardize their big pay. For college mascots, it could affect the scholarship aid many get. But DeVault said despite the NCAA’s success in limiting mascot mayhem, there’s always a chance for mayhem when a Tree, a Duck or other costumed mascot cross paths.

"Your crowd is yelling, ‘Kick his butt,' and their crowd is yelling, ‘Kick his butt,’ " DeVault said, "and the adrenaline starts flowing and you don’t want to look bad in front of your crowd and they don’t want to look bad in front of theirs.

"The next thing you know you’ve got a huge mascot brawl."