Green Wave and D-I College Mascots Nobody Has Ever Seen in Real Life (Part 2)

In the wake of Penn State's off-the-field struggles, I've begun to wonder what a Nittany Lion actually is.  

In this regard, there are tons of Division I schools with mascots that are neither real, nor have ever been seen in real life. These schools tend not to have larger athletic budgets and certainly don't get the same recruiting classes as the likes of Ohio State and Texas.

Fortunately for these programs, they do have the spunk, pizazz and funky mascots that fan bases latch on to.  

The burning question remains: If you've never seen it before, that probably means it's mythical/magical/made-up...

...so when you see a bizarre mascot run onto the court or field, you can't help but feel attached to him/her. Right?

This is the second part of a two-part series about college mascots that nobody has ever seen in real life, but love anyway. 

You can read part one of this slideshow right here. 

Tulane Green Wave: Blue Wave, Green Wave, Who Gives a ****?

(Just for reference, the title of this slide is an homage to this Happy Gilmore clip.)

Tulane University, located in New Orleans, is officially represented by a Pelican mascot named "Riptide." They have used both the Pelican and the actual wave pictured here to represent the team since the 1920s. 

Bottom line: I've never seen a Pelican that plays baseball. Although I guess that's an unfair statement considering I've also never seen a Wave with...feet. 

Notable alumni: Current Bears' RB Matt Forte. And this guy, who kinda blew his name. 

Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils: Jerry Rice Says It's Ok

The Delta Devils' football squad has gone 32-77 since 2002. It's a little sad reading the recap of their final game of the 2011 season. You have to admit though, that mascot is pretty weird and cool-looking. 

Despite the fact that their own website depicts their all-conference baseball players as near-convicts with prison-photo type pictures, the school has a rich history based in Itta Bena, Mississippi (yes, that is in a valley...and on a delta).  

Before segregation ended in the South in the 1960s, Itta Bena was the location of one of only a few black vocational colleges. MVSU evolved out of that original vocational institution.  

Notable alumni: Jerry Rice. (This is right up there with Larry Bird attending Indiana State after ditching Bob Knight and the Hoosiers...and Brett Favre graduating from Southern Mississippi). 

Murray State Racers: I Guess "Jockeys" Would Have Been More Embarrassing

The emblem of the Murray State Racers seems to be a jockey on a horse, not just a regular old horse. 

In that light, we've all seen horses before...and jockeys. The real question is this: which one is the actual mascot?

The five-foot-nothing dude or the horse he's on? Or both? (Which would be the funniest option by far...just imagine a jockey prancing on the the track during a football game and trying to get a crowd of drunk college students riled up.) 

Far and away the best part about the Murray State athletic department is their rifle team. Yes, they have a seriously competitive rifle team.  

From head coach Alan Lollar: "The win over Ohio State is good, because we competed,” Lollar said. “We fought for every point and I think that is a characteristic of a great team. We competed and found a way." 

He easily could have been talking about a hoops squad. Nope. Rifle team. Thank you, Murray, KY. 

Notable rifle-slingin' horse racin' Racer alumni: Kirk Rueter, LHP for the Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants (130-92, 4.27 ERA, 1.39 WHIP).  Woody! (FF to 0:09 seconds if you can't handle the rest)

Niagara Purple Eagles: Why Not the Neon Green Eagles?

The purple eagle reminds me of the Eagles' mascot in the last scene of Ace Ventura. 

They could have made him neon green. Or orange. Or pink. Nope...purple. Some other suggestions for oddly colored mascots:

The Pink Panthers

The Fighting Blue Trees

The Stained Giraffes

The Yellow Wild

You get the point. 

Notable alumni: Hubie Brown, two-time NBA Coach of the Year and Joe McCarthy, manager of seven New York Yankees World Series championship teams.  

North Texas Mean Green: Mistaken Identity

Another eagle that doesn't know what he's supposed to be. Taken literally, the mean green is basically nothing.

A former football player at North Texas, Joe Greene, was accidentally given the nickname of "Mean Joe Greene." The back story is semi-interesting, but more importantly, it's a good thing they didn't settle on a cottontail rabbit.

Notable alumni: "Mean" Joe Greene and professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin. Imagine that dude wearing the mascot and scaring the wits out of senior alumni. 

Presbyterian Blue Hose: William Wallace?!?!

One of the more ambiguous and hilarious mascots ever.

He's supposed to be a Scotsman, clad in blue hose and stockings, straight from William Wallace's days. (Braveheart was so historically inaccurate that I couldn't bring myself to link to Mel Gibson's mug.)  

To beat a dead horse, NOBODY KNOWS WHAT A BLUE HOSE IS. It's just a little weird to name your mascot after the clothing that he's wearing. (Yes, yes, the Red/White Sox do come to mind.)

Notable alumni: I could not find any. Seriously. (Except for John McKissick, who happens to have the distinction of being the winningest high school football coach ever.) 

Saint Louis Billikens: There's No Way Drugs Weren't Involved

Apparently, the vision for this ridiculous elf-like creature came to an art teacher in her sleep (while tripping??).

At this point, we can be sure that this doesn't exist in real (sober) life. I'm totally finding this costume for Halloween next year.  

Notable alumni: Former Sacramento Kings star Anthony Bonner, (complete dud) Larry Hughes and American soccer player Brian McBride. 

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Let's Turn a Religious Guy into a Devil!

They used to be the Baptists. Then they they destroyed Trinity (now Duke) in a rivalry matchup and the sports editor at the school paper renamed them the Demon Deacons. 

This guy rides a motorcycle onto the floor at hoops games. Awesome. 

Ultra-notable alumni: Arnold Palmer, Tim Duncan and Chris Paul. Not too bad. 

Western Illinois Leathernecks: Not a Marine but a Canine.

This one is too easy: Dogs have leather around their necks because most collars are leather. Right? All I can think about are Marines. 

Why the university thought anyone would be interested in this is beyond me...

...but he does wear a headband. 

Notable alumni: Rodney Harrison. And Rick Reuschel. The Reuschel brothers are the geekiest brother duo in sports history. Easily. 

Wichita State Shockers: Shocking Corn Fields

There is obviously a bit of legend involved here but the basic idea is this: Early students used to shuck or "shock" the wheat in surrounding Wichita, Kansas.  

Hey guess what he's yellow. HE'S YELLOW. 

Behind Sebastian the Ibis, this guy is my favorite mascot in the country.  

Notable alumni: World Series-winning HR hitter Joe Carter and legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells. 

Here's video of Joe Carter destroying Mitch "Wild Thing" Willams' pitch into left field to win the 1993 World Series.  

The Blue Jays weren't exactly shocking the world as defending champions, but I'm sure someone in Kansas was cheering for him.