Chief Moccanooga

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Chief Moccanooga, the politically incorrect athletic mascot for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was a common sight at UTC sporting events up until 1996, when the University decided to remove the potentially offensive (but well-loved) figure and replace him with a mockingbird (the state bird of Tennessee), all in line with the nickname change from Moccasins to simply Mocs.

The fall of Chief Moccanooga was not surprising, as his story is not a unique one; in 1982, Chief Noc-A-Homa, the former drum-thumping mascot of Major League Baseball's the Atlanta Braves, was removed. The Cleveland Indians have the most well-known and controversial Native American mascot, Chief Wahoo.