Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2019

52 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ReadMPM.com feature B ulldogs are noted for their vigor and composed disposition. They are fiercely loyal and their grip is very powerful against resistance. Records point to 1909 as the first official use of “Bulldogs” as the military college’s sports teams’ nickname after a local sports writer claimed The Citadel footballers played like bulldogs. It wasn’t until 1928 that a live bulldog mascot first roamed Johnson Hagood Stadium’s sidelines, not long after the popular football team outgrew College Park. In 1937, Capt. George Lockwood loaned his pet bulldog, Sunny Sue, and later Suzie and Jack, for the Saturday home games on Hagood Avenue through the 1940s. Plebe, Plebe II, III and IV lived on campus under cadet supervision through 1964. And then Lt. Col. Thomas Courvoisie, the assistant commandant made famous by one of Pat Conroy’s earliest books, “The Boo,” served as the caretaker for Boo, Boo II, III and IV through the mid-1970s. From 1977-90, Colonel Ruff (named to honor Citadel All-America linebacker Brian Ruff), appeared at the football games and was under the care of the R.D. Moseley family. Colonel Ruff met his unpredicted early demise in 1990 at the jaws of an alligator. From 1991-02, Boo V, VI, VII and VIII, all owned by Fred Drucker of Georgetown, were the featured mascots. The Citadel Class of 2003 donated General as a class gift, and Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities Mike Groshon served as the caretaker for him and Boo IX. Groshon, a James Islander who passed away in 2016, took the dogs to their highest profile ever, including the creation of the Citadel Football Association’s “Beautiful Bulldog Contest.” Today, the live bulldogs dwell on campus during the academic year and are cared for by the Corps of Cadets, while local vet Dr. John Bradford, a former Citadel lineman, looks after the dogs during the other times. The cheerleader, “Spike,” is a cadet and, like his colleagues, makes many local appearances. His face has been consistent with the college’s familiar Spike logo that was unveiled in the late 1980s. The live bulldogs’ primary duty is to provide morale for the Corps of Cadets, faculty and staff and all of the Bulldogs’ athletic teams. Other responsibilities include barking at opposing teams, consuming numerous dog biscuits throughout the day and being pampered by the cadets and visitors alike. THE CITADEL’S SPIKE Photo courtesy of Milledge Austin, The Citadel.