What the hell, I'll continue the debate. OK...Go into the hills of North Carolina and search for a Tarheel. There ain't no such thing. Since they couldn't come up with a Tarheel they used a sheep with horns. Same thing with the Aggies and Cadets. They couldn't use themselves as a mascot since that would be stupid so they looked around for a substitute. The Army found a mule and the aggies found a dog. But Auburn is the Tigers. There is such a thing as a tiger so g**dammit why didn't they just get a tiger mascot like the rest of the civilized sports world would have done. IT DON'T MAKE NO DAMN SENSE AND YOU WON'T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. Now go whup USC's ass and do the SEC proud.
Actually, Army's nickname is the "Black Knights"--their students are "cadets", yet, like you said, their mascot is a mule. The "tar heels", from what was told to me (if I remember correctly) by a former UNC alum has something to do WITH a ram--therefore "Ramsies the Ram". Their logo (human foot with a dark heel) is something that is just fun and obviously, easily recognized. As for A&M...Well, who can explain anything that an Aggie does anyways???
Actually, and this is true, Tarheel come from the barefoot hicks walking the hot asphalt of tobacco road.
For the Record Mike the Tiger is from Alabama... Was born in Molten Alabama... I guess they can claim that....
Just where would Carolina find a tarheel for a mascot (what the hell IS a tarheel?)? Bet you could find a tiger, though. It's an ARMY mule, you know, the tough kind that used to haul Army equipment, get it? What's the relationship between the tiger and the bird? And where did the plainsman thing come in?
Go to Texas and you won't have any trouble finding an Aggie. Some Aggie junkies were sharing a needle to shoot up drugs. When they got busted one of the cops just looked at them and said "You stupid Aggies! Ain't ya'll afraid of getting aids from using the same syringe?" One of the Aggies told the cop "No way! We're all wearing condoms."
LOL I guess that is another reason we are treated so kindly in Baton Rouge. Mike is really a Bama Fan. I think they did some dental work on him at UAB a few years ago didn't they? Mike is a fine looking mascot. texastigers, shoot me an email over on TF I lost your address. ARMY MULE The first recorded use of a goat mascot for Navy sports was in 1893, when an animal named El Cid (“the Chief”) was turned over to the Brigade by young officers of the USS New York. The goat helped Navy win 6-3 over Army that year and was adopted as part of the team. Other short-lived mascots include two cats, a bulldog, and a carrier pigeon, but the goat has served without interruption since 1904. Currently, Bill the XXX reigns as the 33rd mascot and is the 29th goat to be named Bill. Navy Chief Petty Officers live in what is called The Goat Locker and are refered to as Old Goats.
I always thought a tarheel was a nickname for North Carolinians. I heard that someone once said they must have tar stuck to their heels to be able to live in the mountains. But I could be wrong. By the way, why doesn't Clemson have a live tiger?
