We’d hazard a guess that the most popular canine mascot, certainly among institutions of higher learning, is the Bulldog. Add McPherson College to the list of colleges and universities who are “bulldogs.”

McPherson College is a four-year liberal arts college in McPherson, Kansas, and their original mascot was a 67 pound Bulldog named, “Ben,” who was owned by the basketball coach from 1915-17, Ellis D. Verink.  Verink described Ben as “…one of the best-natured dogs…” with a “…streak of something that would not allow him to be pushed around.” He was loyal and dedicated, and was also described as acutely interested in every player that came off and to the bench in basketball games, thoroughly sniffing them over and giving them all his approval. “Ben” stood for honor, loyalty, good-naturedness with a bit of spunk and a whole lot of toughness. He cared about “his team” and accepted them as they were.

In 2015, McPherson College held a mascot design contest to find a new look for their Bulldog. Evan Hiebert’s design (seen here) was the winner and earned Evan the $1,000 prize. Three years ago, an on-line site asked why Bulldogs were such popular mascots. Here’s the list they came up with.