With so much UGA talk in the air, we got to wondering what's the history with the bulldog as a mascot?
ATHENS, Ga. — Editor's note: The story above is from a previous report.
The Georgia Bulldogs are all set for Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship game against Texas Christian University.
Most anyone who's attended a UGA football game has likely gotten a view of Uga, the team's beloved four-legged mascot.
So, with so much college football talk in the air, we got to wondering, what's the history with the bulldog as a mascot?
The first thing to know is that the current Uga, actually named Uga X, is part of a long line of English bulldogs who have come to represent the university over the years. Uga X, known as "Que" has been the reigning bulldog since 2015.
However, that was not always the case. As the school notes on its website, in 1892 Georgia's mascot for its first football game against Auburn was actually a goat, which wore a black coat with red U.G. letters on either side.
Two years later, the mascot would become a solid white bull terrier named Trilby, who happened to be owned by a student from Atlanta.
While UGA admits on its mascot webpage that there are disputing stories over how exactly the Bulldog nickname stuck, one in particular mentions little Trilby herself. A clipping from an Atlanta newspaper on the school's page tells the story of Trilby and her 13 puppies darting through practice one day, barking at the players. Allegedly, at that moment one of the players stated, "Well, Trilby has brought us a name, Bulldogs."
Though the University of Georgia admits multiple bulldogs have filled in or acted as spiritual mascots to the team going back to the 1940s, those known as "Uga" have been owned by the Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler family of Savannah, Ga. since the 50s.
It was back in '56 that the very first Uga was given to Cecelia Seiler by friend Frank Heard during the first game in the home opener, according to UGA.
"His original red jerseys were made by Cecelia. It was necessary to take up children's t-shirts to fit the dog in the right places. There is no telling how many of these jerseys he wore out," Sonny stated in a quote featured on the school's website.
For the last 20 years, Uga's jerseys have been custom-made from the same material as the players, according to the university.
So, where does the little guy spend his time when not parading around among the fans and players?
UGA states that Uga's on-field home is an air-conditioned doghouse, just next to the cheerleaders' platform. The space comes in handy when canine star needs to escape the heat during August and September.
The university also noted that it's "the only major college that actually buries its mascots within the confines of the stadium."
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