Colonel Ebirt

Colonel Ebirt
Colonel Ebirt giving a 'thumbs up' prior to a Tribe football game.
University	The College of William & Mary
Conference	CAA
Description	Green and Gold Frog
Origin of name	"Tribe" spelled backwards
First seen	2001-2005

Colonel Ebirt was the unofficial school mascot for The College of William & Mary from 2001–2005. A green and gold frog that donned a tri-corner hat, Colonel Ebirt was originally used as a promotional tool for Colonial Williamsburg. It became involved with the College athletics program when someone from the William & Mary gymnastics program volunteered to wear the costume. "Ebirt" is Tribe spelled backwards ("ebirt" is analogous to the more commonly heard frog call "ribit"), and "Colonel" comes from the school's historical and geographical ties to Williamsburg, Virginia, specifically that of Colonial Williamsburg.

The athletic department decided to "retire" Ebirt upon the conclusion of the 2005–06 school year. On April 6th, 2010, William and Mary announced that their mascot to replace Ebirt was a griffin.