Butler Bulldog Mascot Began in Irvington

The tradition of having a bulldog as a mascot for Butler University teams began at the Irvington campus. Prior to 1919, the team was known as the "Christians" because of the college's association with the Disciples of Christ denomination. By 1920, the athletic department adopted the bulldog as a mascot after student George Dickson drew a cartoon in the school newspaper of the canine to represent the football team. The very first "dawg" was Shimmy so named because you could not shake him. Shimmy's cartoon image then appeared in subsequent newspapers biting into various opponents. The actual dog lived in various fraternity houses. This image shows Shimmy in the early 1920s.