Naming mascots is always a great challenge. It has to be carefully curated by the community that it will eventually represent. A name should incorporate a sense of the city’s culture or at the least be catchy to say — something that rolls off the tongue. No matter how hard colleges try to create an iconic mascot, most cannot replicate the infamy of mascots like Bucky Badger or the Oregon Duck.
As of May 2025, Beloit College revealed its new logo for athletics, replacing the old Buccaneer that survived a legal battle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Tampa Bay failed haha get ratioed). The new logo takes on the appearance of an SEC school, a more simplified design with subtle hints toward the culture of Beloit. One of the most noticeable differences is the change of face, going from a traditionally dressed pirate to a skeletal head with the same pirate elements. Overall, the logo change was a success, and now under the direction of Athletic Director Pat Miller, the college is in the pursuit of a rebranding of sports on campus.
However, there have been recent attempts to name this new Buccaneer, as it’s safe to say the proposed names do not roll off the tongue.
Atlas
Atlas is the only name that I would be accepting of. It pulls from nautical themes, fitting for a buccaneer mascot. It carries a sense of power when it’s spoken, which I think is a good advantage for promoting sports and a symbol for all teams. Round Table Sports Editor Elliot Ave-Lallemant’27 concurs that Atlas would be appropriate for this mascot, saying “it’s the best one of the bunch … I think it has that sense of power the teams need.”
Blue
Uhhh, we have two colors last time I checked. We would need to incorporate yellow or gold somewhere in that name if the college moved forward with it. Blue is already trademarked by the Indianapolis Colts, and that horse knows how to dance, meaning we won’t have much of a fighting chance to steal it.
Bones
Bones makes me giggle. I would not be afraid of our teams if I were our opponents. However, if we’re looking to show our humorous side, then maybe something like Bones would be effective. This seems very contradictory toward Pat Miller’s business model of athletics, so I doubt this one will land.
River
Every mascot naming contest has to have a couple of joke submissions, so this is one of them. Buccaneers historically sailed the seas and the rough waves, not your local city’s stream. Therefore, we at least need to try to be lore-accurate while naming a mascot that should last for decades. Additionally, people’s names only work for certain mascots like Raymond for the Tampa Bay Rays or Benny the Bull for the Chicago Bulls, and in this context River does not flow well.
Shiver
Looks like we got another jokester in the submissions. Buccaneers cannot control the weather, thus making the potential name a load of barnacles. This is by far my least favorite option and if this were the name, I would lie my butt off about it if another team asked me about our mascot at a cross country or track meet.
Ave-Lallemant had some opinions about the name Shiver too, saying, “I think it’s terrible … the worst one. I see what they were trying to do … you know, like ‘shiver me timbers’… but that’s just so corny and no one likes it.” Sorry to whoever submitted Shiver, but please hit the drawing board again.
I have to give credit to the student body and administration for trying; it is quite a difficult mascot to name. Perhaps Beloit College should take notes from the Stanford Tree, a literal tree that has captured the attention of millions. Stanford University has utilized its marketing skills and thus transformed its essence of being a mascot. The fact that a tree started fighting UCal’s mascot Oski on a basketball court in 1995 plays into the absurdity of how a non-charismatic organism can be successful on TV and marketing.
Therefore, I believe that our new nameless buccaneer should go toe to toe with Torty the Turtle to see who should be our college’s rightful mascot. If the Buccaneers win, then he will have the honor of being named Torty.
Featured image: Beloit College
Leave a Reply