Marco the Bison is the official costumed mascot of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He is an American Bison dressed in the home uniform of the school. Marco's name developed from a mix of the university's name at the time, Marshall College. Marshall became a University in 1961, but the name for Marco stuck.[1]
Marshall's early sports teams were called Indians or "Normalists," as Marshall was a normal school, a two-year degree that qualified the degree holder to teach secondary school. When the team changed colors from black and blue to green and white in 1903 the team went by "Big Green" for a number of years.
Marshall's student body first got a bison in the 1930s, when an animal from the famous Marland 101 Ranch in Oklahoma was procured. The animal went along with the nickname then The Herald-Dispatch's sports editor started using for the team in 1928.
Duke Ridgley was a fan of Zane Grey's novel, "The Thundering Herd," and the silent movie that came out not long after the book was released in 1925. Bison had indeed roamed the Ohio Valley near Huntington, WV at one time.
While the student newspaper suggested "Judges" to honor the college's namesake, Chief Justice John Marshall, and the evening newspaper, The Huntington Advertiser, wanted "Boogiecats" or "Boogercats" to replace the name, "Big Green." It was a cat found in Scotland called a Boogie Cat, or mountain lion in the U.S.
Ridgley won out in the end and "Thundering Herd" became one of the most distinctive nicknames in sports, but there would be other challengers through the years.
The Big Green vs. Marco controversy was on-going, however. In 1958, the student body voted on three possibilities: Thundering Herd, Big Green and Green Gobblers. Big Green won, but many still referred to the team as the Herd. In 1964, Dr. Stewart Smith, President of Marshall University, gave student, faculty, alumni and others a chance to vote on three again: Thundering Herd, Big Green and the Rams, with Sam the Ram suggested by a former President of the MU Alumni Association, Leonard Samworth.
On January 5, 1965, over 85 percent of the voters went with Thundering Herd. Big Green was given to the scholarship foundation for athletics and is still used for that purpose. Sam the Ram went away forever, along with Green Gobblers, Boogercats, Indians and Judges.
Marco statue on Hodges Field
Marshall's mascot Marco has made a lot of history and had many different looks since he was first put into costume in 1954. He started off as a four-legged, rugged looking bison of paper mache' in the 1930s in a homecoming parade skit, then progressed to Marco in a full football uniform, in furry full costume, adding a vest in the 1980s and then to how we know him now.
Marco has not always been the only mascot used at Marshall. During football seasons in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Marshall used two mascots: Marco, and another real bison, purchased by one of the doctors who died on the Marshall Football plane crash of November 14, 1970, killing all 75 persons aboard including most of the football team and coaches. The two made regular appearances at football game: in fact, the real Marco got loose on the Astroturf in 1971 and delayed a second-half kickoff until he was returned to his cage. The real bison was retired to nearby Camden Park, a nearby amusement park which had a petting zoo in the 1970s and where he stayed when not at Fairfield Stadium for games. Marshall also had "Marsha," a female mascot in the wake of the women's liberation movement of the 1970s who was created in 1973 but only through the end of the 1970s.
There was even a "Buffy," a green-furred bison with the distinctive Marshall "beanie" who was added for a single year by the women's basketball program in 1979-80, along with a walking basketball with big eyes called "Bouncy." They both disappeared soon after the end of that season.
Marco was nationally recognized when he won the National Mascot Championship award in 1992, beating "Big Red" from Western Kentucky among others.[2][3]
Criticism
The university's beloved mascot underwent a makeover in 2008, thanks to a fundraising effort in the fall headed by the Marshall University Alumni Association in conjunction with the MU Athletic Department. His new costume was crafted by Dale Morton Studios in Hurricane, West Virginia. He was revealed prior to the Marshall homecoming game on November 15, 2008 against the UCF Knights.[4]
When the smoke cleared from the tunnel, fans saw a mascot with smaller feet, track pants, muscles and a face bearing an enormous nose, long nails on the fingers (supposed to look like hooves on the rare time the mascot held his fingers together and down towards the ground) and glaring eyes. Since then, feedback on the Internet has been overwhelmingly negative.
Of the 389 people who had responded to The Herald-Dispatch's unscientific online poll question of whether they liked the new look, 81 percent said no. And more than 2,300 people had joined a Facebook group called "Bring Back Classic Marco!"
In 2013 yet another makeover was performed and Marco received a new suit similar to the one used prior to 2008.
Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.
The HokieBird is the official mascot of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Michael Weldon Bartrum is an American football coach and former long snapper and tight end who is currently a senior analyst and special assistant to the head coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd. He played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and was considered one of the best long snappers while he was playing. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. He retired in 2007 after suffering a neck injury in a 2006 game.
The North Dakota State Bison is the name of the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison.
Joan C. Edwards Stadium, formerly Marshall University Stadium, is a football stadium located on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It can hold 38,227 spectators and includes twenty deluxe, indoor suites, 300 wheelchair-accessible seating, a state-of-the-art press-box, 14 concession areas, and 16 separate restrooms. It also features 90,000 sq ft (8,000 m2) of artificial turf and 1,837 tons of structural steel. It also houses the Shewey Athletic Center, a fieldhouse and a training facility. The new stadium opened in 1991 and replaced Fairfield Stadium, a condemned off-campus facility built in 1927 in the Fairfield Park neighborhood.
The Marshall Thundering Herd is the intercollegiate athletic collection of teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, which are members of the NCAA Division I. The school's official colors are kelly green and white. The Marshall Thundering Herd have won 3 NCAA national championships and one NAIA national championship.
Marshall University: Ashes to Glory is a 2000 documentary film about the November 14, 1970 Marshall University plane crash that killed 75 people, and the efforts of new head coach Jack Lengyel and the coaching staff, to rebuild the team and help heal the city of Huntington, West Virginia.
Michael Dale Barber, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played college football at Marshall University. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. Drafted in the 4th round by the San Francisco 49ers, he went on to play 4 seasons in the NFL. Inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
William Alfred "Red" Dawson is a former American football player and assistant coach for Marshall University. He was nicknamed "Red" for his red hair.
The 1970 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University as an independent during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley, the team compiled a 3–6 record and was outscored by a total of 202 to 138. The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
"The Marching Thunder" is the marching band of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The Marshall University Marching Thunder is the largest and most visible student organization on campus. As the largest student organization on campus, the marching band provides entertainment and school spirit at football games, basketball games, and other community functions.
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Sun Belt Conference Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level.
The Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic is the name of the in-state rivalry between the Marshall University and West Virginia University basketball teams, the Marshall Thundering Herd and West Virginia Mountaineers. Chesapeake Energy is the title sponsor of the game. The game was last played during the 2015–2016 season and no further games are currently scheduled.
The 1971 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. It marked the Thundering Herd's 69th season. The team was led by head coach Jack Lengyel in his first year and played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. The Herd finished with a 2–8 record.
The 2020 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Thundering Herd played their home games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (CUSA). They were led by eleventh-year head coach Doc Holliday.
The 1972 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University as an independent during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In its second season under head coach Jack Lengyel, the team compiled a 2–8 record and was outscored by a total of 254 to 93. The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
The 1973 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University as an independent during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. In its third season under head coach Jack Lengyel, the team compiled a 4–7 record and was outscored by a total of 288 to 212. The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
The 1974 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University as an independent during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In its fourth and final season under head coach Jack Lengyel, the team compiled a 1–10 record and was outscored by a total of 291 to 110. Allen Meadows and Jesse Smith were the team captains. The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
References
↑ "MU Quick Facts 2010"(PDF). Office of Recruitment. Marshall University. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-28. Marco the Bison.
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