Chris PumphreyWe love college pride, we love sports, and we especially love alliteration (sorry, nerd status!) so Mascot Monday is our attempt at combining all 3 things! Each week we will feature a different, random college mascot, just because. Maybe because we think it’s weird, maybe we think it’s hilarious, or maybe it’s just totally awesome (or some combination of all three!) Check back every Monday to see if we feature your school! Want us to feature your school’s mascot? Comment, email us, or tweet @SurvivinCollege with the tag #MascotMonday!
This week on Mascot Monday: the University of Maryland Terrapins.
(image via)
Having grown up in Maryland all my life and watching Maryland soccer and basketball for as long as I can remember, you have no idea how excited I am to feature the Terps this week. The University of Maryland has one of the most unique mascots in the entire country. I mean it’s not every day you see a turtle used as a mascot for a major college sports program. Might I add, it’s got to be fairly difficult to make a turtle look even slightly intimidating–but Maryland has appeared to do the impossible. But before we talk about the mascot itself let’s go over how Maryland came to be known as the Terrapins.
According to the university’s website, the history of Maryland’s mascot dates all the way back to the 1930s when Testudo become the official mascot for UMD in 1932. At the time the university’s newspaper, The Diamondback, issued a campus-wide search for a new mascot. Head football coach Dr. H. Curley Byrd’s suggestion for a Diamondback terrapin was the clear cut winner and a big favorite around campus. When you think about it, the terrapin is a perfect match for UMD. The terrapin is native to the state and was viewed as logical choice above all, not to mention it’s pretty badass. And when you realize that the school colors are the same on the state flag, UMD’s athletics program is the perfect representative for its home state.
When talking about Maryland’s logo, you can’t help but realize how completely awesome it is. Remember how I said it would be hard to make a turtle look scary? Well, you can just forget about it because the Terrapin logo is anything but soft. Just one look at the eyes and beak and that’s all she wrote. And while the muscles further add the level of intimidation it also represents the strength of the university and the athletics program.
If you thought the logo was awesome just check out the mascot, Testudo. There’s no doubt Maryland’s logo symbolizes the university’s strength but Testudo has become the face of the school since his first appearance on campus over 70 years ago. We absolutely love this mascot for its playfulness and its strong similarity to the logo. With the logo and mascot so similar to one another, there’s a level of uniformity and consistency. Over the years Testudo has come to represent the pride of Maryland and the university is very lucky to have a mascot that is both fun and powerful. Needless to say, we’re huge fans and can always appreciate a mascot that can balance those two characteristics.
What is your favorite college mascot?
Photos via Getty Images