These five mascots are among the best to roam the sidelines at college football games.
Bevo
Bevo spends Saturdays in Texas roaming the sideline at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Texas Longhorn steer made his first appearance at halftime of the 1916 football game against Texas A&M. Bevo XIV retired in October 2015 after contracting bovine leukemia virus. He died shortly thereafter. Bevo XV made his debut in 2016, 100 years after the first Bevo was introduced. He made headlines at the 2019 Sugar Bowl after charging at Uga before the game.
Mike the Tiger
Mike the Tiger has been an attraction at Louisiana State football games since 1936. On home football game days, Mike's cage on wheels is parked by the opponent's locker room outside Tiger Stadium. Opposing players must pass by Mike in order to reach their locker room. In 1950, four Tulane students abducted Mike before a game. He was eventually returned and the students were banned from LSU's campus. A new habitat was constructed for the Bengal tiger in 2005. Mike VI debuted during LSU's national championship season of 2007. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2016 and was euthanized. Mike VII, who was donated from a tiger sanctuary in Okeechobee, made his debut during the 2017 season.
Ralphie the Buffalo
The first Ralphie debuted in 1966 and spent 13 years on the Colorado sidelines. Ralphie II took over in 1978, but she unexpectedly died after a 1987 game against Stanford. Ralphie III was pressed into action prematurely after her predecessor's life was cut short and served through the 1997 season. Ralphie IV then spent 10 seasons on the sidelines from 1998-2007. Ralphie V took the field at a Colorado game for the first time in 2008 and retired in 2019. Ralphie VI was born in 2020 but sat out that season amid the coronavirus pandemic. She made her Folsom Field debut in 2021.
Sebastian the Ibis
Sebastian the Ibis has been a fixture at Miami games since 1957. On game days, the costumed mascot leads Hurricanes fans in the "C-A-N-E-S" cheer, spelling the letters with his body. Why an ibis? Because the bird is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane approaches, giving warning that danger is imminent. Sebastian narrowly avoided arrest before a game against rival Florida State in 1989. Miami's mascot, wearing a fireman's helmet and yellow raincoat while holding a fire extinguisher, was tackled and handcuffed by police during an attempt to douse Florida State mascot Osceola's flaming spear.
Uga
Uga is a sideline staple at Georgia football games since 1956. After the death of Uga VII, his half-brother, Russ, was selected as interim mascot for the final two games of the 2009 season. He continued as interim mascot for the first six games of the 2010 season and participated in a "passing of the collar" ceremony for Uga VIII before the homecoming game. Less than two months later, Russ was once again called upon for the bowl game because of an illness to and the eventual death of Uga VIII. Russ eventually assumed the title of Uga IX in 2012, but he died in December 2015 and was replaced by his grandson. Uga X retired after the 2022 season as the winningest mascot in school history. The collar was passed to an English bulldog puppy named Boom during the spring scrimmage in April.
