Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2019

53 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ReadMPM.com feature “W e wanted to introduce something new and fresh, something that would be great for our coaches, athletes and students and fans,” said new Director or Athletics Jeff Barber, when Charleston Southern University recently unveiled plans for the “new” Bucky the Buccaneer. When Charleston Southern emerged on the academic scene in 1964 and the first basketball team took the floor in 1965, supportive fans donned eye patches, bandanas and earrings and brought fake swords to the game. Though the college wanted a more Christian moniker to go along with the school’s original name — Baptist College — students wanted a more combative mascot, and Buccaneers came to be. College lore points to the athletics department’s first trainer, Chuck Welty, as being credited with convincing a student to adorn swashbuckling swag, attend the game and hang out with the cheerleaders. Through the years, there have been several variations of the Buccaneer logo. The recently introduced one is described as a “gentleman’s buccaneer” because it features both a feather and bandana, which makes it exclusive, as most iterations feature one element or the other. “The combination of the feather and the bandana is unique to CSU,” Barber added. “It’s exciting that our students, alumni and fans will have additional options in supporting our Buccaneers.” With input from coaches, athletic department officials and three of Barber’s friends who work for Walt Disney Animation, Tyler Stokes, a graphic designer in CSU’s marketing and communications department, created the new logo. “As an alum, I am proud to be able to present an updated look to Bucky, while staying consistent in the University’s branding and vision for the future,” said Assistant AD for Marketing Anna McSwain. “This is progress our students, past and present, have been ready for, deserve and are excited about.” Bucky the Buccaneer is in a transitional phase as the university continues to rebrand CSU athletics. “With the new logo design, we hope to increase his image and implement some new mascot traditions,” McSwain added. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN’S BUCKY THE BUCCANEER Photo courtesy of Seth Montgomery, CSU.