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[su_spacer size=”40″] As longtime Bulldog fans know, Que, the newest edition to the line of Frank “Sonny” Seiler’s English bulldogs, has been going through the stage of audition. This weekend is going to change that with the coronation of Uga X. Before we get into Que and his life, I am going to let you in on the history of the dogs.
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Mr. Seiler first introduced the bulldogs in 1956 when he received the pup as a wedding present. Wally Butts asked Mr. Seiler if they could use the bulldog as the new mascot for Georgia. The name we now know came into existence when a friend suggested Uga as an abbreviation of UGA. Now every dog since then goes by that name. Before the bulldog, a goat was the mascot for Georgia. That’s another story though, so we won’t be getting into that history.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga attends all Georgia games and wears a jersey made from the official fabric just as the players wear. Along with the jersey, he wears a spiked collar and rests in his air-conditioned doghouse on top of ice bags. He has to lay on the ice packs in air conditioning because bulldogs have major problems with heat. He once wore a black jersey for the Blackout in 2007 against Auburn. He also had a special appearance in 1982 for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. He wore a tuxedo.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The past eight Ugas are now buried in the mausoleum near the Southwest entrance of Sanford Stadium. The first two Ugas were buried in the East end of the stadium before closing in the East end in the 1981 renovation.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Then, the dogs were moved to the West end. During the enclosure in 1992, they were moved again to where they rest now. The Southwest corner now holds the eight deceased Ugas and has a bronze life-sized statue right in front of the mausoleum. The new Uga is passed the collar in a pregame ceremony. This tradition dates back to the first Uga.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Here they are:
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga I- (1956-66)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Hood’s Ole Dan” is the name he went by when not known as Uga. His record is 53-48-6 and won the Southeastern Conference (1959) and the Orange Bowl.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: Damn Good Dog
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga II- (1966-72)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Ole Dan’s Uga” has two SEC titles under his belt (1966, 1968) and one national title (Litkenhaus poll 1968). He was 42¬16-3.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: Not Bad for a Dog
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga III- (1972-81)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Seiler’s Uga Three” was the mascot for the Bulldogs undisputed 1980 national championship and two SEC titles (1976, 1980). His record was 71-32-2.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: How ‘Bout This Dawg
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga IV- (1981-90)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Seiler’s Uga Four” was at the helm for the 1981 and 1982 SEC championships. Most famously, Uga attended the Heisman trophy ceremony in a custom made tux. He joined the Heisman winner, the great Herschel Walker in the Downtown Athletic Club. In his nine seasons he was 77-24-4.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: The Dog of the Decade
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga V- (1990-99)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Uga IV’s Magillicuddy II” is probably one of the most well known mascots in sports history.
[su_spacer size=”40″] He was named in honor of Dan Magill, the former Georgia tennis coach, sports information director, and chairman of the Georgia Bulldog Bulldog Club. Uga V was featured in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and was the front cover of Sports Illustrated (1997). He was also responsible for one of the most famous pictures of college football when he tried to bite Robert Baker in the Georgia/ Auburn game in 1996. He was 65-39-1.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: “Nation’s Best College Mascot” -Sports Illustrated
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga VI- (1999- 2008)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Uga V’s Whatchagot Loran” is another Uga with two SEC titles (2002, 2005). He also has two Sugar Bowls that happened under his reign. He had over 20 wins among ranked opponents and is the winningest bulldog in bulldog history. His name comes from Loran Smith, the longtime sideline reporter for the Dawgs. The “whatchagot“ comes from the famous Larry Munson commanding from the booth, “Whattyagot Loran?”. He also holds the record for the largest bulldog to come through Georgia weighing a whopping 65 pounds. His stellar record was 87-27!
[su_spacer size=”40″] I had the privilege of talking to my uncle, Will. He happened to be one of the vets that delivered Uga VI. When I spoke to him I asked him what it was like going through the entire process of delivering an Uga?
[su_spacer size=”40″] He started off by saying, “Well to be honest, the crew and I didn’t even know we were delivering an Uga. It was 1998, and my senior year of vet school. The female came in and we had to do a Caesarian-section. She delivered five pups, two females and three males. Two of the males were uniquely all white. They took the pups back home only a day after the birth. They rushed the pups back to us and that’s when we figured out we had Uga VI among us.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: A Big Dog For A Big Job, And He Handled It Well
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga VII – (2008-09)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Loran’s Best” was also another one of the Ugas named for Loran Smith. He had a short reign of being Uga dying on November 19, 2009. His short record was 16-7.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: Gone Too Soon
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga VIII- (2010-11)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Big Bad Bruce” was named in honor of the Georgia vet Dr. Bruce Hollett. He was introduced against Vanderbilt on October 16, 2010 for our homecoming. He died on February 4, 2011 with a record of 4-2.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Epitaph: He Never Had A Chance
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga IX- (2012-15)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Russ” was an interim Uga from 2009-12. First, he became an interim bulldog for the final two games of the 2009 season.
[su_spacer size=”40″] He was also the mascot during the first six games of the 2010 season while Bruce was training. He also served as the mascot for the 2010 Liberty Bowl. The entire 2011 season he served as the interim mascot. Greg McGarity announced on August 30, 2012 that he should now have the title as Uga IX and the official ceremony took place on September 15, 2012, before the Florida-Atlantic game.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Uga X- (2015-present)
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Que” is participating in the passing of the collar ceremony this Saturday against Georgia Southern. Although Russ has not died,
[su_spacer size=”40″] Que is an all white pup and Russ is not. The football team has always recommended an all white dog unless the spot is under the jersey. Russ is one of the only dogs that has spots that show and has served as a mascot for UGA. Que’s name comes from his all white coat, which looks like a cue ball in pool.
[su_spacer size=”40″] So if you are in town for this upcoming game swing by a little early and try to catch the passing of the collar ceremony from Russ to Que!
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[su_spacer size=”40″] Hamilton Culpepper is an 8th grader at Prince Avenue in Athens.
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[su_spacer size=”40″] Make sure to check out Bulldawg Illustrated’s latest print edition: Two Damn Good Dogs, digital issue available for free online. CLICK HERE.
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