High school mascot history

From ordinary animals to historical oddities, high school mascots are an educational element that tie a community to its schools and the students who don jerseys with that name emblazoned on the front.

Some mascots are eternal and have been a school mainstay since doors first opened to students. Other mascots are newcomers that have arrived due to changing ideas about what a mascot should be or what it should represent. The origin stories of a school’s mascot almost always paint a picture of the community that a school calls home.

Petoskey High School

The Northmen

The Northmen have been around for many years. Just how many years, however, is unknown.

Superintendent John Scholten said he did not know when the mascot originated or why the name was chosen. Photographs dating to the 1960s show the Northmen name painted on the school’s stadium. Additional promotional materials, like football booklets and pins, also use the Northmen name.

However, a 1922 yearbook kept at the Little Traverse Historical Museum refers to sports teams as the “Blue and White.” No mention of the Northmen name is made.

It is easier to trace the evolution of the image associated with the Northmen logo. Scholten said the current image was chosen after school officials met with representatives from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and with student input.

“They worked through some process that the students weighed in on as well as the representatives,” he said. “They came up with the same logo that has been in place since the mid-80s.”

The only Northmen in the state belong to Petoskey High School, no other school in the state has that same mascot.

“I just think it’s been a logo that the intent and expectation is something everyone can be proud of,” Scholten said. “It’s something that, as a school district, we’ve been very proud of for many years.”

Alanson Public School

The Vikings

The Viking is one of the most common mascots in the country. According to MaxPreps.com, Vikings rank among America’s top 15 mascots. It is also the third most popular mascot in the state of Michigan, with 26 schools listed on MaxPreps.com with that mascot.

Superintendent Dean Paul said the Vikings have a long history in the community, but that it wasn’t known how the mascot originated.

A current teacher and alumni of the school told Paul that the Viking mascot was in place when she was a student, in the early 1960s.

Boyne City High School

The Ramblers

Not much is known about the origin of the Ramblers mascot. Superintendent Peter Moss said it has been in use since the early 1900s and guessed that it was related to the car of the same name because the mascot image looks like a car part.

“Our logo looks like a flywheel,” he said.

However, alumni Rex Judkins has found no evidence that the mascot is related to the car. In fact, the logo of a winged wheel was not used until after Judkins graduated in the class of 1952.

“My class tried to come up with a Rambler, picture-wise and a definition, and we didn’t make our goal,” Judkins said. “We just came up in frustration.”

Despite the history of the mascot remaining a mystery, Moss said the community has a strong connection with the Ramblers.

“Usually the mascot represents some connection to the community,” Moss said. “I think people identify with that particular mascot, whether it’s the Tigers, Lions, Ramblers, Loggers or Rayders. It’s just something that people can wrap their hands around and identify with. In my six years, people have identified with being a Rambler and take great pride in it. I think that’s a good thing for a community.”

Boyne Falls Public School

The Loggers

Like many of the mascots on this list, it is not known when exactly Boyne Falls adopted its mascot. Tim Smith, the boys’ basketball coach, graduated from Boyne Falls in 1983 and said the Loggers mascot was in use then.

“As far as I can remember it’s always been the Loggers,” he said. “I’ve been around a long time but (the mascot) has been around a lot longer.”

Boyne Falls is the only school in the state of Michigan that can claim the Loggers as its mascot. The name comes from the area’s rich history in logging.

“Boyne Falls was a center of Northern Michigan for the logging industry,” Smith said. “We had a lot of logging camps in the area.”

Because the name is rooted so deeply in the community’s history, Smith said the mascot is a source of pride.

“We’re the only Loggers,” he said. “When people identify the Loggers they know it’s Boyne Falls.”

Charlevoix High School

The Rayders

Thanks to its unique spelling, Charlevoix High School is the only school in the state that can claim the Rayders as their mascot. In fact, while Raiders are a popular mascot across the country, Charlevoix High School is the only one that is home to the Rayders.

Superintendent Mike Ritter said the mascot is an homage to legendary coach Ray Kipke.

“Our football field is named after him,” he said. “That is why we are Rayders with a ‘y.’”

Ritter, who is beginning his first year as Charlevoix’s superintendent, said he is excited to pick up more Rayders gear once school starts.

“Mascots are so important,” he said. “I think its connection to a coach that’s highly respected and kind of legendary makes it more unique and special.”

East Jordan High School

The Red Devils

There is a bit of local folklore surrounding the Red Devils mascot. As Superintendent Matt Stevenson retold it, sometime in the 1940s a traveling mascot salesman had two devil mascots and sold the Red Devils to East Jordan and the Blue Devils to Gaylord.

“I don’t know if that’s a true story or one that has been passed down over the years,” he said.

Because of the negative association with the devil, Stevenson said the school is careful how it uses devil imagery in its logo.

“I think there are pros and cons to the mascot, especially when you use the devil,” he said. “For a logo, we don’t use the devil itself. We usually use the EJ symbol.”

Stevenson added that there has been some controversy in the past over the devil symbol. Instead of using the devil’s face, its horns and tails have been incorporated into the EJ lettering.

“We’ve come up with a happy medium here in East Jordan,” he said. “We’re really happy with our mascot.”

Ellsworth Community School

The Lancers

Ellsworth student athletes did not always ride into battle under the Lancer name. Prior to World War II, the mascot had a decidedly different appearance.

“Originally they were the Flying Dutchmen. It’s a very Dutch community,” said superintendent Aaron Gaffney. “In 1948, the students looked to change the name to the Lancers.”

Harold Edson, a student at the time who later became involved in coaching and school administration, is credited with driving the name change.

Gaffney added that the Lancer image has “gone through different cycles” and has changed throughout the years.

“We have an extremely large student-painted mural that was done two years ago of a lancer on horseback,” he said.

Gaylord High School

The Blue Devils

Contrary to the story that circulates around East Jordan’s mascot, the Blue Devils were chosen for Gaylord High School by Gaylord students.

“From what I have been told by Bill Granlund (former high school principal and Gaylord historian), he believes that the mascot goes back as late as the 1930s,” said Christian Wilson, Gaylord High School assistant principal and athletic director. “A contest was held at that time with the student body to pick the mascot.”

Wilson said it’s not known what the other choices were, but since winning the contest the Blue Devils have been used for almost 90 years.

“The tradition is great,” he said. “(Community members) take pride in Gaylord and the Gaylord Blue Devils.”

While the nickname has stayed the same for decades, the image has evolved over time.

“We have a couple of different Blue Devils that we have used for designs,” Wilson said.

“Our school mascot is something more than a symbol to excite fans,” Wilson said. “It’s not anything negative but it’s something our fans and our community can identify with.”

Harbor Springs High School

The Rams

Thanks to the Harbor Springs Historical Society and History Museum, the origin of the Rams mascot was found in a 1960 yearbook.

The yearbook states that prior to 1939, the school used nicknames such as the “Harborites,” the “Orange and Black” and the “Hurricanes” for its sports teams. The Rams name was suggested by Paul Cassidy, a 1941 graduate.

Eleanor Jardine and Paul Stanley, both members of the Class of 1944, confirmed the information found in the yearbook.

Superintendent Mark Tompkins added that whatever form the mascot takes, it always serves as an important connection point with the community.

“It is part of our community and the identity of the sports teams,” he said. “It’s important no matter what it is.”

Pellston High School

The Hornets

Pellston has been home to the Hornets for at least 50 or 60 years, although it is not known exactly when the school adopted the stinging insect as its mascot.

“I know it’s changed over the years as far as how aggressive it looks,” said Enos Bacon, principal and athletic director for the middle school/high school. “It’s morphed over the years.”

Bacon added that maintaining the school colors and the logo has been an important focus for the school and the community.

“Our community really rallied around our team colors and our mascot,” Bacon said. “It’s a real point of emphasis both with our board of education and our community to maintain those traditions.”

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