Aggie (Mascot)

Aggie
University	North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
Conference	MEAC
Origin of name	Diminutive form of the word Agricultural used to describe students of Agricultural colleges
First seen	Fall 1984
Related mascot(s)	Agatha

Aggie, sometimes referred to as the Aggie Dawg or Aggie Dog, is the official mascot of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a historically black college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Aggie can be seen representing the North Carolina A&T athletic teams on the sideline of football games at Aggie Stadium and at Corbett Sports Center during basketball games. Although the physical representation of the athletic teams is a bulldog, the term "Aggie" has a historical connection to the university's agricultural roots as a land grant university.

History

The earliest known mascot at A&T dates back to the late 1970s. While live bulldog mascots were used on and off for the next several years, it was decided that an anthropomorphized version, as the one on the university logos at the time, would be a better fit. Over the years the face of Aggie has changed, but the basic concept of a clothed two-legged bulldog remained the same.^[1] There have been 12 official Aggie dogs in the school's history, with the first making his appearance in the fall of 1984.^[1]

The legend of the Aggie Bulldog

The term Aggie is a diminutive form of agricultural, which has long been used to refer to students who attend agricultural schools. Upon its founding as a land grant university in 1891, the school, then the Agricultural and Mechanical School for the Colored Race, adopted the nickname. According to oral history, the origin of the Aggie Bulldog mascot stems from a tale of a shepherd dog, a bulldog, that was kept on the college's farm to assist in herding the cattle and other animals into shelter. During a football game the Aggies had become despondent. In the last few minutes of the game, an Aggie fullback broke through the opposition's defense and scored a touchdown, but was deemed no good by a referee. It is said that at that moment, an unidentified person untied the bulldog which then attacked the referee. The incident was said to almost cost the school its membership in the CIAA, but it vindicated the Aggies. It is said that from that day on, the mascot for the football team has been a bulldog.^[2]

Function of Aggie

Aggie makes appearances at all, A&T football and home men's basketball games. In addition, He appears at select home women's basketball, baseball games and home bowling meets.^[3] Aggie can be seen as well at tournaments such as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tourney and the NCAA. At athletic events, Aggie interacts with the fans to build excitement and help cheer A&T teams to victory. Besides athletic events, Aggie also appears at social events for both the university and Greater Greensboro community. Aggie is a prominent figure during Homecoming Week as he can be seen at pep rallies, participating in the homecoming parade and even appearing on television to boost community awareness of the festivities. Aggie also makes public appearances in the annual Greensboro Holiday parade and grand opening events for companies in the Greensboro area by request.^[3]

References

1 2 "The Aggie Dogs". www,ncatcheerprogram.com. NC A&T Cheer Programs. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
↑ Dr. Albert W. Spruill. "Origins of The Aggie Bulldog". Bluedeathvalley.com. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
1 2 "Aggie Dog Tryout Requirements". http://www.ncatcheerprogram.com. NC A&T Cheer Program. Retrieved 26 October 2015. External link in |website= (help)

North Carolina A&T Aggies football

Venues	War Memorial Stadium (1971–1981) Aggie Stadium (1981–present)

Bowls & rivalries	List of Bowl Games Celebration Bowl North Carolina Central Winston-Salem State South Carolina State

Culture & lore	Aggie (Mascot) "Dear A&T" (Alma Mater) "Aggie Fight Song" "Old Aggie Spirit Blue & Gold Marching Machine

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

National championship seasons in bold

North Carolina A&T Aggies men's basketball

Venues	Moore Gymnasium (1952–1978) Corbett Sports Center (1978–present)

Rivalries	North Carolina Central

People	Head coaches

Seasons	Records lost pre-1952 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16

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