Army Mules

Army Mule
Army Mule
	U.S. Army mules 1942-49. Helped in constructing NORAD.
University	United States Military Academy
Conference	Patriot League
Description	Live mules
First seen	1899

Last updated December 02, 2024

The Army Mules are a group of mules which serve as the mascots for the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

The tradition of mules as mascots for Army dates back to 1899, when an officer at the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot decided that the team needed a mascot to counter the Navy goat. Mules were an obvious choice, as they were used as haulers for Army gear for generations. Not much is known about the "official" mules until 1936, when Mr. Jackson (named for Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson), a former Army pack mule, arrived from Front Royal, Virginia. He served for twelve years, presiding over two national championship teams. Starting with Mr. Jackson, there have been seventeen "official" Army mules, only one, Buckshot, being female. The current Mule Corps are:

Ranger III (formerly known as Jack): Ranger III, one of the Army Mules, has been on campus since 2011. He was trained by MAJ Anne Hessinger, an Army veterinarian who served at West Point in 2003–2006. Named, like his predecessor, for the 75th Ranger Regiment and all Rangers past and present, Ranger III came to the academy in 2011 as a gift of Steve Townes, class of 1975. He stands at 16.2 hands (66 inches, 168 cm) and is the son of a Percheron mare.
Stryker (formerly known as Abe): Stryker is the half-brother of Ranger III. He was also trained by MAJ Anne Hessinger and gifted by Steve Townes. Stryker stands at a height slightly shorter than his brother.
Paladin (formerly known as Apache and Rocky): The newest member of the group, joined in February 2016, and is also a gift of Steve Townes. Paladin stands about two hands shorter than the half-brothers, and is half thoroughbred rather than Percheron.

The Army Mules are trained by cadet Mule Riders, a part of the Spirit Support Activity of the U.S. Corps of Cadets. The current Army Mule Riders are: Cadet Garrett Dolan, 2021, Cadet Sarah Traynor, 2022, Cadet Kyle Kass, 2023, and Cadet Benjamin Bennett, 2024. Together they are present at many of West Point's athletic events, parades, and other ceremonial activities.

The Mules serve not only as West Point's mascot, but also as the mascot for the entire United States Army.

**Former Army Mules**
Name	Years	Donor	Notes
Mr. Jackson	1936–1948	Remount Station, Front Royal, Virginia	First "official" mule
Pancho	1939–1958	Ecuador	Also known as "Skippy", a gift of Colon Alfaro, the Ecuadorian Ambassador to the US and father to two members of the class of 1939
Hannibal I	1948–1964	U.S. Army (a six-year veteran)	Originally named "Bud" and renamed by the Corps of Cadets, Hannibal I died in 1964 after being kicked by another mule
K.C. MO	1957–1969	Mr. James M. Parker of Kansas City, Missouri	Known to throw his riders; retired early
Trotter	1957–1972	U.S. Army 35th Quartermaster Pack Unit, Fort Carson, Colorado	Named for his ability to trot long distances
Hannibal II	1964–1980	The Hannibal, Missouri Chamber of Commerce	Originally named "Jack"
Buckshot	1964–1986	A gift of the United States Air Force Academy	Exchanged for a ceremonial sword
Spartacus	1973–1994	Governor Warren E. Hearnes of Missouri	Nicknamed "Frosty" for his white muzzle
Ranger I	1978–1995	Ranger Association of World War II	Son of a Percheron draft mare and a Spanish jack
Black Jack	1985–1989	Senator Albert Gore, Sr. of Tennessee	Died of cancer two days before the 1989 Army-Navy Game
Traveler	1990–2002	Anonymous	Also known as "Dan," known for his ability to do fancy steps
Trooper	1990–2002	Mr. Bob Griffin of Houston, Texas	Also known as "Ernie," known for his advanced training
Raider	1995–2011	Quincy (IL) Notre Dame High School Foundation	Formerly known as "Joker." Known for his reddish color, white star on his forehead, calm demeanor and high level of sociability. Son of a Tennessee Walker mare
Ranger II	2002–2011	Steven Townes, Class of 1975	Also known as "George," known for his small size and shy character. Son of a Quarter Horse mare
General Scott	2002–2011	Steven Townes, Class of 1975	Also known as "Scotty." Known for his large size, beautiful dark coat and skittish tendencies. He is named for Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Willard W. Scott Jr., a former USMA Superintendent and Army Mule supporter. Son of a Clydesdale mare
Paladin	Present	Steven Townes, Class of 1975	formerly known as Jack. The son of a Percheron mare.
Stryker	Present	Steven Townes, Class of 1975	formerly known as Abe. The half-brother of Ranger III
Ranger III	Present	Steven Townes, Class of 1975	formerly known as Apache and Rocky. The newest member of the group, joined in February 2016.

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References

Army Mules – GoArmySports.com

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v t e Army Black Knights football
Venues	The Plain (1890–1923) Michie Stadium (1924–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Air Force (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Navy: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Notre Dame
Culture & lore	Army Mules Black Death Award "On, Brave Old Army Team" "The Army Goes Rolling Along" 1946 "Game of the Century" West Point Salute Touchdown, Army Code Breakers
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Live animal mascots in college sports
The American	TOM (Memphis) Stella (Temple)
ACC	Osceola and Renegade (Florida State) Tuffy (NC State) Rameses (North Carolina) Peruna (SMU)
Big 12	Judge (Baylor) Ralphie the Buffalo (Colorado) Shasta (Houston) Bullet (Oklahoma State) The Masked Rider (Texas Tech)
Big East	Butler Blue (Butler) Jack the Bulldog (Georgetown) Jonathan (UConn)
Big Ten	Traveler (USC) Dubs (Washington)
Conference USA	Tech (Louisiana Tech)
Ivy League	Handsome Dan (Yale)
Missouri Valley	Racer One (Murray State)
Mountain West	Aurora (Air Force) CAM the Ram (Colorado State)
Patriot League	Army Mules (Army) Bill the Goat (Navy)
SEC	Tusk (Arkansas) War Eagle (Auburn) Uga (Georgia) Blue (Kentucky) Mike the Tiger (LSU) Bully (Mississippi State) Boomer and Sooner (Oklahoma) Sir Big Spur (South Carolina) Smokey (Tennessee) Bevo (Texas) Reveille (Texas A&M)