Top 7 Mascots of the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament #1

7. Boston College Eagles

The eagle mascot was adopted by Boston College in 1920 and determined by Rev. Edward McLaughlin based on an eagle's symbolism. Soon after, two eagles were gifted to BC, but the birds did not take to their new home. One escaped and the other injured his beak attempting to escape. For 40 years after the school used a stuffed bird as their mascot, until in 1961 when students lobbied for a live mascot once again. The new mascot "Margo" was gifted by a Colorado man and for 5 years attended games while making her permanent home in a zoo. But in 1966, Margo died from a virus. The bird was now on the endangered species list, so the school began using a costumed student eagle to rally students at games. Boston College now has two costumed mascots, "Baldwin" and the ironically larger "Baldwin, Jr."

www.arizona.edu 6. Arizona Wildcats - Wilbur the Wildcat

The University of Arizona's first wildcat mascot was a live bobcat introduced in 1915. The cat was named Rufus Arizona, after the university president Rufus von KleinSmid. He was purchased by the freshman football team for $9.91 and was gifted to the school. Rufus has a number of successors, but the use of live mascots was discontinued in the mid-1960s. The first costumed human mascot named "Wilbur" debuted during the 1959 football season. Today Wilbur has a mascot wife, Wilma Wildcat, who he married on November 21, 1986.

uconnhuskies.com 5. University of Connecticut Huskies - Jonathan the Husky

The first live Husky mascot came to the University of Connecticut 1934. All UConn mascots are named Jonathan after Jonathan Trumbull, the Governor of Connecticut during the Revolutionary War. A Jonathan statue can also be found on campus and it is said students rub its nose for good luck.

4. University of Louisville - Cardinal Bird

The University of Louisville's mascot is a Cardinal. His official name is Cardinal Bird, but he is affectionately known to students as The "Bird." The Cardinal is the state bird of Kentucky, which gives the team statewide identification, and a sense of state pride. The Cardinal also provided the inspiration for the school's colors of red and black. The mascot is a rowdy presence at games, once even parachuting into the football stadium to make his entrance.

www.gozags.com 3. Gonzaga Bulldogs- Spike the Bulldog

Human mascots replaced live dogs in 1980 when a Gonzaga student, Mike Griffin, wore a cape and called himself "Captain Zag." A few more students would don the Captain Zag uniform before the Bulldog mascot named "Spike" returned in 1985. Today Spike has become a recognized figure with Gonzaga basketball cheering at every home men's and women's basketball game. Spike's profile rose when he was one of the mascots chosen to appear in Nike's 'Welcome to Bracketville' commercials for the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

www.villanova.com 2. Villanova Wildcats - Will D. Cat

The Wildcat mascot was determined through a university-wide contest in 1926. While the name wildcat refers to a number of larger, untamed cats, Will D. Cat most closely resembles a bobcat. In the 30s and 40s Villanova had live wildcats that were kept on campus in a cage. All were named Count Villan. However, behavioral problems from caging, being around large crowds and the cold weather caused the school to replace live animals with Will D. Cat in 1950.

1. University of Washington Huskies - Dubs the Husky

The University of Washington introduced the Husky as its mascot in 1922, replacing the confusing "Sundodger" mascot. Since that year, the school has had live mascots to represent the school. The first Husky was named Frosty and subsequent mascots have had a variety of names. But just last fall, UW decided to find a permanent name for the mascots. After two rounds of online voting, the university decided that "Dubs" would be the name from then on. The latest mascot was born in November 2008 and is training for his debut sports game appearance on September 5th. You can follow the adorable Dubs' blog at huskymascot.blogspot.com.

Honorable Mentions

• Morehead State Eagles
• Mississippi State Bulldogs
• American Eagles
• Binghamton Bearcats
• Temple Owls