Monte (mascot)
| Monte | |
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| University | University of Montana |
| Conference | BSC |
| Description | Grizzly bear |
| Origin of name | short for Montana |
| First seen | 1993 |
| Related mascot(s) | Monte's little buddy 'Mo', Monte's big buddy 'Rocky', Benny the Bull |
Monte, short for Montana, is the University of Montana's award-winning athletics mascot. He is modeled after a grizzly bear, in reference to the nickname of the university's athletic teams, the Grizzlies.
Starting in 1897, the University of Montana used live bear cubs to promote their athletic teams, who were then simply known as the Bears. The university went through several bear cubs, often being forced to replace the bear at the end of every football season as it grew too large to be easily shuttled from game to game. The mascots had several different names through the years, including three bears named Fessy, in honor of famed University of Montana football coach Doug Fessden, and a bear named Jerry, in honor of coach Jerry Williams. However, live bears cubs were visibly uncomfortable during games, especially as the crowd grew loud. They would often be held in chains. Outside the sports arenas, the bears were occasionally subject to kidnappings, publicity hoaxes, and animal rights protests. One ran away successfully. Following a particularly poor football season in 1956, a rumor started that the school was euthanizing the bears.
Press and student outbursts at the complications of live bear mascots led the university to try a more conventional approach, and in the 1970s, the Grizzlies were backed by a variety of traditional company-sponsored costumed mascots. These included the Hamm's Beer Bear, Domino's Pizza's Noid, and at one point, Ronald McDonald. The local business Grizzly Auto Centers sponsored Otto the Grizzly, who was the primary mascot for the athletics teams for most of the 1980s, beginning in 1983 with student Jan Nesset. Like Otto, previous bear mascots were designed to be fierce and aggressive, even wolf-like; it wasn't until the athletics department conferred with mascot experts that it was decided to design a more engaging, friendly and energetic mascot. It was then in 1991 that Monte was developed. Monte debuted at the start of the 1993 season. In his first game as mascot, the Grizzlies came back to win after a 31-point deficit against South Dakota.
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