Name That City! June 17, 2021

Today is National Mascot Day! We’re a trivia feature—we know these things. Let’s see if you can match the mascot with the college team it represents.

1. Pistol Pete
2. Herky the Hawk
3. Scotty the Dog

And here are the answers:

1. Oklahoma State University—Sports fans might think that the mascot got its name from “Pistol” Pete Maravich, famed American shooting guard but that’s not the story. The mascot’s name was actually inspired by an admired cowboy named Frank B. Eaton. Eaton was given the name Pistol Pete after beating out many cavalry competitors in a marksmanship contest at Ft. Gibson. The nickname also might have to do with the fact that, at 8 years old, Eaton witnessed the murder of his father by six vigilantes. He started practicing his marksmanship to get revenge on the men. He set out at age 15 to track them down—which he did five years later. He killed all six men.
2. University of Iowa—Herky the Hawk has been the symbol of the university for more than 60 years. Journalism instructor Richard Spence III created the mascot who has a black leather head and gold felt feathers. Herky travels when the team goes to bowl games and post season basketball tournaments. He also has his own Twitter account.
3. Carnegie Mellon University—The Scottish terrier doesn’t sound like the most intimidating of college mascot, but founder Andrew Carnegie kept a Scottish terrier as his pet. For years, students have been suited up in unofficial Scottish terrier costumes to excite the fans at athletic events, but in 2007 nearly 78% of Carnegie Mellon students voted to make it official.

Thanks for playing!