When Animal Mascots Go Wild

Whether it’s a human in a costume or a live animal, good mascots can end up in bad situations.

When Animal Mascots Go Wild

Sooner Schooner — It's all fun and games until a mascot flips out.

The mascot is a simple premise. It’s designed to be the physical embodiment of team spirit. Throughout the last few decades, the mascot has evolved into a performer, and teams sometimes put those mascots in losing positions.

Whether it’s a man in a costume or a live animal, good mascots can end up in bad situations. However, those poor endings often provide memorable moments in otherwise unforgettable games.

These are the wildest animal mascot moments in sports history.

25. Taima Takes a Day Off

Taima — Taima, an augur hawk, flies past a Seattle Seahawks logo.

Mascot: Taima the Hawk

Type of animal: Augur hawk (also known as augur buzzard)

Year: 2014

Sport: NFL Football

Teams: Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants

Venue: CenturyLink Stadium, Seattle, Washington

Bottom line: Before each game, the Seahawks have a tradition of having their mascot Taima fly in a circle around the stadium.

It’s a great sight to behold, but in pregame warmups against the Giants in 2014, Taima decided she wasn’t having it that day and broke loose, landing on a fan’s shoulder.

The fan, showing remarkable poise given the circumstances, treated it as an honor.

24. Oski the Bear vs. the Tree

The Tree vs. Oski

Mascot: Oski the Bear, Stanford Tree

Animals: Anthropomorphized bear and a human being a tree

Year: 2007

Sport: College basketball

Teams: Stanford Cardinal, California Golden Bears

Venue: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Bottom line: One of the fiercest and most storied rivalries in college sports, Cal vs. Stanford has featured a number of memorable moments and unforgettable plays over the past century.

One of the most notable came at the hands of non-competitors, Oski the Bear (Cal) and the Stanford Tree got into a heated showdown that spilled out onto the court at Haas Pavilion.

Just when you thought you’d seen everything, a cartoon Bear gets hauled off in handcuffs.

23. Reveille on the Run

Reveille VIII — Texas A&M mascot Reveille VIII in 2010.

Mascot: Reveille the Dog

Animal: Rough Collie (aka Long-Haired Collie)

Year: 2015

Sport: College football

Team: Texas A&M Aggies

Venue: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas

Bottom line: I was confused at first when I learned Texas A&M uses a live dog mascot, so I went to their website for the definition of "Aggie."

It reads, in part, "An Aggie is a student at Texas A&M. In the early 1900s, Texas A&M students were referred to as 'Farmers.'" That clears things up.

Whatever the reason, Reveille saw the opening and broke free from his handler, who, in his defense, got zero help from the folks on the sideline.

22. Gopher Gets Crazy

Goldy the Gopher — Goldy the Gopher.

Mascot: Goldy the Gopher

Animal: Anthropomorphized gopher

Year: 2017

Sport: NFL football

Team: Minnesota Vikings

Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Bottom line: In the second installment of Mascot Mania, a game that features various mascots against a seventh-grade football team, things got a little overly physical.

On a pitch to the outside, Minnesota’s mascot Goldy looked like he had a clear path to the end zone.

One unfortunate pre-teen stood in his path, and without hesitation, the gopher leveled a Marshawn Lynch-style takedown on his way to scoring.

21. Renegade Takes a Tumble

Renegade — Florida State mascot Osceola riding the horse Renegade celebrates a touchdown.

Mascot: Renegade the Horse

Animal: Appaloosa horse

Year: 2016

Sport: College football

Team: Florida State Seminoles

Venue: Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Bottom line: Florida State has one of the oldest and most famous pregame live animal traditions in sports, when Chief Osceola runs to midfield on his horse Renegade to plant the Seminole Spear.

Ahead of FSU’s showdown against Michigan in the 2016 Orange Bowl, something spooked Renegade to the point of a hilarious stumble.

Luckily, no horses were harmed in the planting of this spear.

20. Brutus Gets Blasted

Brutus the Buckeye — Brutus got leveled.

Mascot: Brutus the Buckeye

Animal: Human

Year: 2013

Sport: College football

Team: Ohio State Buckeyes

Venue: Ohio State practice field, Columbus, Ohio

Bottom line: In a move fueled by what seems to be pure sadism, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer allowed mascot Brutus Buckeye to play quarterback on a play in spring practice.

Maybe he should’ve worn one of those red pennies, because as Brutus rolled to his left, one of the Buckeye linebackers leveled him.

Let’s hope there were pads underneath that nutty exterior.

19. Sharkie Gets Stuck

Sharkie the Shark — Sharkie the Shark.

Mascot: Sharkie the Shark

Animal: Anthropomorphized shark

Year: 1999

Sport: NHL jockey

Team: San Jose Sharks

Venue: SAP Center, San Jose, California

Bottom line: The appropriately named San Jose Sharks have a mascot, Sharkie, that is a bit of a daredevil. He insists on grand entrances.

Well, things went horribly wrong when he tried to scale down from the ceiling onto the ice prior to a game in 1999.

Sharkie got stuck about a quarter of the way down, and it took an hour for them to set him free, delaying the game.

18. Don’t Run with Ralphie

Ralphie the buffalo — Handlers run with Ralphie IV in 2007.

Mascot: Ralphie the Buffalo

Animal: Buffalo

Year: 2010

Sport: College football

Team: Colorado Buffaloes

Venue: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado

Bottom line: Handling a live buffalo running at full speed isn’t so much about handling it as it is about keeping up. While both the handlers and "Ralphie" the buffalo did their job here, FOX field reporter Jim Knox did not.

He wanted to be a part of the pregame fun, but he forgot the most important rule "keep your eyes forward' and was sent flying to the turf in a tough collision.

He reported he was probable to return.

17. Wolfie Fall Hard

Wolfie the Wolf — Wolfie the Wolf.

Mascot: Wolfie the Wolf

Animal: Anthropomorphized wolf

Year: 2010

Sport: Minor league baseball

Team: University of Nevada

Venue: Greater Nevada Field, Reno, Nevada

Bottom line: In the midst of a mascot dance-off at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A team, the Reno Aces, Wolfie lost his bearings and moonwalked his way off the side of the dugout and onto the unwitting players below.

There has got to be some serious padding in there, because Wolfie was reportedly OK, but most likely now has a crippling fear of both heights and moonwalking.

16. Take it Easy, Mr. C

Mr. C — Mr. C roughs up a fan.

Mascot: Vanderbilt Commodore

Animal: Human

Year: 2011

Sport: College basketball

Team: Vanderbilt Commodores

Venue: Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, Tennessee

Bottom line: For a school that lauds itself as "the Harvard of the South," Vanderbilt’s mascot was anything but polished after this crowd-surfing incident in February 2011.

I’ve watched this about 50 times, and I’m still not entirely sure what happened here. Perhaps in a bit of roid rage, the Mr. C came up swinging, absolutely pulverizing a fan’s nose in the process.

At least it looked like he was sorry.

15. Sooner Schooner Goes Down

Sooner Schooner — The Oklahoma Sooner Schooner makes a run following a Sooner touchdown against West Virginia in 2019.

Mascot: Horses

Animal: Ponies

Year: 2019

Sport: College football

Team: Oklahoma, West Virginia

Venue: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

Bottom line: With the proud and powerful Oklahoma Sooners about to take the field, the Sooner Schooner comes out to circle the wagons before each game.

Prior to a showdown with the West Virginia Mountaineers, the schooner took a mighty tumble, sending horses and cheerleaders flying around the field.

Everyone ended up being OK, except the Mountaineers, who lost 52-14.

14. Crazy Condor

Condor — A condor broke free.

Mascot: Condor

Animal: California condor

Year: 2013

Sport: Minor League Hockey

Teams: Bakersfield Condors, Ontario Reign

Venue: Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, California

Bottom line: With the national anthem playing, the Bakersfield Condors tried to add some majesty to the occasion by setting loose the glorious California condor.

Perhaps a little too inspired by the refrain, the condor attempted to walk across the ice. The peak moment came when the handler tried to rein the bird in and hit the deck hard.

Credit the singer, who was totally unphased by the whole ordeal.

13. Settle Down Sebastian

Sebastian the Ibis — Sebastian the Ibis causes a ruckus.

Mascot: Sebastian the Ibis

Animal: Anthropomorphized American white ibis

Year: 1989

Sport: College football

Team: University of Miami

Venue: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

Bottom line: It’s such a shame we don’t have video evidence of this, but the oral history itself is captivating.

Looking to top his previous stunt of carrying a bucket of water to put out the flames on the Florida State spear, Sebastian wore a fireman’s outfit and intended to carry a fire extinguisher with him out to the field.

Police stopped him before the stunt even got going, and when the ibis accidentally sent the extinguisher spouting onto one of the officers, they attempted to detain the bird, until one of the coaches ultimately saved him from extinction.

12. Raptors Should Not Rollerblade

Raptors mascot — Being a mascot can be hazardous to a mascot's health.

Mascot: Raptor

Animal: Red velociraptor

Year: 2012

Sport: NBA basketball

Team: Toronto Raptors

Venue: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Bottom line: There are just so many great things about this now legendary GIF.

First of all, the Raptor costume is pumped up with air, which means the man inside is basically engulfed by a bouncy-house. Then they put rollerblades on him.

The result is a comically stumbling mess of a fall straight onto the hardwood.

11. Coach MacTavish vs. Harvey the Hound

Craig MacTavish and Harvey the Hound — Craig MacTavish and Harvey the Hound exchange pleasantries.

Mascot: Harvey the Hound

Animal: Anthropomorphized hound

Year: 2003

Sport: NHL hockey

Teams: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames

Venue: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Bottom line: Some unfortunate things happened on the ice to the Oilers during Craig MacTavish’s coaching tenure.

However, he will be forever revered in Edmonton for this move he pulled on the Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound.

MacTavish gave the fans a special souvenir, tossing the Hound’s tongue a couple of rows back.

Fun fact: Harvey the Hound was the NHL's first mascot in 1984.

10. Berlino Crashes and Burns

Mascot: Berlino the Bear

Animal: Anthropomorphized bear

Year: 2009

Sport: Track and Field

Team: Jamaica

Venue: Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany

Bottom line: Jamaican sprinter Melanie Walker could not be more excited after winning the 400-meter gold at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

She got so excited, she climbed on the back of mascot Berlino the Bear for a triumphant trip around the track. Berlino was not exactly up for the job, running headfirst into and nearly impaling himself on a cart about 50 meters ahead.

Walker probably took her next victory lap solo.

9. Clutch Owns Dwight Howard

Clutch the Bear — Now, that's entertainment.

Mascot: Clutch the Bear

Animal: Anthropomorphized bear

Year: 2014

Sport: NBA gasketball

Team: Houston Rockets

Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Bottom line: The Rockets’ social media department has been doing some excellent work over the past few years, and this may be the crowning achievement.

After a team practice, they had the blow-up mascot Clutch set up outside the entrance of the facility to scare players.

Some got spooked, some took instinctive swipes, but nobody had the reaction that Dwight Howard did, when he employed a karate-like kick to ward off the adorable bear.

8. Puddles of Blood

Puddles the Ducck — You want some of this?

Mascot: Puddles the Duck and the Houston Cougar

Animal: Anthropomorphized duck and cougar

Year: 2007

Sport: College football

Team: Oregon Ducks, Houston Cougars

Venue: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon

Bottom line: During a game in Eugene, Oregon, which boasts one of the top home-field advantages in the country, the Houston Cougar mascot started doing pushups on the field after a score.

That’s really more of a "Puddles the Duck" move, and he took offense. It resulted in a violent exchange between the two adorable plush dolls.

Puddles essentially beat down the Cougar for his offense, and the Ducks topped Houston that day 48-27.

7. Bevo Bails

Bevo — Bevo saw enough.

Mascot: Bevo the Longhorn

Animal: Texas Longhorn

Year: 1999

Sport: College football

Team: Texas Longhorns

Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Bottom line: What is it with college football teams and live animals? Anyway, this one is pretty predictable.

On Bevo’s way off the field during the Longhorn’s eventual 22-6 loss to Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, he left a few presents for the Cornhuskers.

As he’s dropping his bombs on his way off the field, you can see Nebraska lineman asking the referee what they plan to do about it. S--- happens.

6. Good Dog

Uga — Uga bit at an Auburn player.

Mascot: Uga the Georgia Bulldog

Animal: Bulldog

Year: 1996

Sport: College football

Team: Georgia, Auburn

Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama

Bottom line: In the middle of one of the most enthralling installments of Georgia-Auburn ever, Auburn receiver Robert Baker hauled in a touchdown pass.

But his momentum carried him out of the end zone, nearly plowing over Georgia’s mascot handler, Charles Seiler. Uga V took offense to this, pouncing up and nearly chomping at a very sensitive part of Baker’s anatomy.

I’m sure they didn’t train him to bite Auburn players. Well, pretty sure anyway.

5. Swallowed Whole

Mackerel Jordan — You are what you eat.

Mascot: Mackerel Jordan the Fish

Animal: Anthropomorphized mackerel

Year: 2011

Sport: Minor league baseball

Team: Corpus Christi Hooks

Venue: Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi, Texas

Bottom line: On a fateful night in 2011, the Corpus Christi Hooks invited the traveling show dubbed the Zooperstarts to entertain the crowd at Whataburger Field.

What resulted was a stunning and shockingly morbid display by Mackerel Jordan, who swallowed up a field employee and gulped him down.

The only note I have is it should have been the umpire.

4. Simon Says No Racing

Racing Sausages — Off to the races.

Mascot: Racing Sausage

Animal: Humans

Year: 2003

Sport: MLB baseball

Team: Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates

Venue: Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Bottom line: Division rivals to the Brewers in the National League Central get a front-row seat to about 9-10 sausage races each year. How many times can you watch a sausage run around a track?

In 2003, it was one too many for Pirates first baseman Randall Simon, who took it upon himself to whack one of the sausages with his bat, causing a comedic tumbling of the bratwurst.

Simon was arrested for battery and fined $432. Can’t make this up.

3. Bevo vs. Uga

Bevo — Beware of Bevo.

Mascot: Uga the Bulldog, Bevo the Longhorn

Animals: Bulldog, Texas Longhorn

Year: 2019

Sport: College =football

Team: Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Bottom line: Who would win in a fight: a bulldog or a longhorn? While it may seem that question has an obvious answer, it looked like Bevo wanted to see for himself before the 2019 Sugar Bowl.

As ESPN was broadcasting Uga arriving on to the field about an hour before kickoff, Bevo made a full-on charge for the adorable little bulldog, sending everyone on the field scrambling.

It was some solid foreshadowing for what would happen in the game, with UT winning 28-21.

2. Wild Wing Can’t Fly

Wild Wing the Duck — Roast duck.

Mascot: Wild Wing the Duck

Animal: Anthropomorphized duck

Year: 1995

Sport: NHL hockey

Teams: Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Vancouver Canucks

Venue: Anaheim Pond

Bottom line: In a stunt that must have looked amazing on paper, the Anaheim Ducks’ mascot attempted to leap from the ice through a ring of fire.

It went about as disastrously bad as could have been expected.

It was later parodied by Will Ferrell in "Old School," confirming that a mascot catching on fire will always be hilarious.

1. Down Goes Bango

Bango the Buck — Bango the Buck.

Mascot: Bango the Buck

Animal: Anthropomorphized buck

Year: 2009

Sport: NBA basketball

Team: Milwaukee Bucks

Venue: US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Bottom line: In an impressive display at the 2009 All-Star Game, mascots from around the NBA took part in a half-court shot competition.

I am not entirely sure why Bango was standing behind the backboard, and although it looked at first like he had everything totally under control, his resulting tumble brought that to a crashing end.

Hopefully, he stretched out those hammies first.