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BACKGROUND
The Connecticut Agricultural College
(C.A.C.) is little more than a handful of buildings and barns in the hamlet of Storrs at the turn of the
century. Trains stop three miles away in Eagleville, but journeys there and to the nearby mill town of
Willimantic are troublesome, particularly in bad weather.
Isolated C.A.C. students see winter as a tedious interlude between the football and baseball seasons. Athletics
offers a natural outlet. Hockey, however, depends too much on New England’s inconsistent weather to bring
relief.
In 1891, in Springfield, Massachusetts, James Naismith invents a game he called basketball to provide indoor
recreation in the cold months for young people. The game’s reputation soon drifts southward, to Storrs.
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University Mascot
1934: CAC became Connecticut State College a year earlier and thus, dropped the Aggies nickname. Lacking a
mascot, they decided rival Rhode Island shouldn’t have one either, and nabbed their ram. Those not hardened by a life of crime no
doubt experienced periods of introspection and remorse, so they gave the ram back and started a school-wide contest to adopt their
own.
1934: CAC became Connecticut State College a year earlier and thus, dropped the Aggies nickname. Lacking a
mascot, they decided rival Rhode Island shouldn’t have one either, and nabbed their ram. Those not hardened by a life of crime no
doubt experienced periods of introspection and remorse, so they gave the ram back and started a school-wide contest to adopt their
own.
1989: The Board of Trustees recognized the Husky as the official school mascot.
Today: Jonathan XIII hit the scene. Somebody might want to put a leash on him though, considering three of
his predecessors succumbed to the moving vehicle. There’s a lot of EZ-GOs flying around those sidelines…
Traditionally, Jonathan scrapped with Rams and Bulldogs, but now gets in the pit with Orange and Hoyas. In the wild, he is
threatened by blizzards, sub-zero temps and traffic.
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