Live Mascot History

In 1948, the first live mascot, Puck, arrived on campus and launched the tradition of live bulldog mascots that lasted into the 1980s. Puck, who was named after the character in Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," was followed by Puck II and Chug-a-Lug. In the 1980s students welcomed Winston, named after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, both for his bulldogged resolve as well as his appearance. Winston appeared for only a year and the tradition of a live mascot at UNC Asheville fell out of use.

But the symbol of a bulldog, used since the university first fielded athletic teams in the 1930s, remained intact. The costumed bulldog mascot was a regular at sporting events but didn’t have an official name. In 1995, the Athletics Department held a naming contest and the moniker “Rocky” won. The winning name was submitted by staff member Nancy Williams, who chose the name because it means “steadfast.”

As much as Rocky became a symbol for the university, students were eager to revive the tradition of a live mascot. In 2007, a group of students, staff and alumni began working diligently to make that dream a reality.

Alumni couple and dog lovers Alexis Johnson ’97 and Ed Johnson ’96 volunteered to be the mascot’s keepers and trainers. Ed, who also teaches in the Mathematics Department, began contacting breeders across the southeast. For months he had little luck finding the right dog. On a whim one day, Ed started researching bulldog rescue organizations. In less than 30 minutes he found what seemed like a perfect match: a two-year old rescued white Victorian bulldog being fostered in Georgia.

Ed and Alexis drove to Georgia to meet the rescued Victorian bulldog and to determine if they could mold him into mascot material. They knew immediately they had found Rocky I...and the rest is history!