Team Name: currently Huskies, previously Statesman and Aggies
Nickname Established: Huskies est. 1934, Statesman est. 1933, Aggies est. circa 1881
Mascot: all white Siberian Husky, officially recognized by University trustees in 1989
Costumed Mascot:Jonathan the Husky, briefly Homer Husky in 1963
Costumed Mascot Debut: 1964
Live Mascot: Jonathan, an all white Siberian Husky
Live Mascot Debut: arrived on campus December 1934, announced in alumni newspaper January 1935
Team Colors: National Flag Blue and White
University Location: Storrs, Connecticut
Why the change in team nicknames? How does a team go from a farmer to politician to a dog? In this case the nicknames changed because the school name changed. As the school name transformed from Storrs Agricultural School to Storrs Agricultural College to Connecticut Agricultural College, Aggies remained a suitable team name. When the school became Connecticut State College in 1933 teams were referred to as the Statesmen - until fall of 1934 when The ConnecticutCampus student newspaper held a contest to suggest a new nickname. Husky was the winner.
(BTW, the school became the University of Connecticut in 1939. No new team name needed.)
Why a Husky? The official UConn site says a Husky was suggested because the winters in Connecticut are as cold as Yukon winters, but another article on the UConn site says a member of the Alumni Association board of directors found a Husky pup at a breeder and suggested it as a mascot.
Why Jonathan? The UConn alumni newspaper, TheConnecticut Alumnus, initiated a "Name that Mascot Contest" in its January 1935 edition. The winning name was chosen to honor Conneticut's last colonial governor and first state governor, Jonathan Trumbull . Hey, that's kind of like the team name changing from Statesman to Huskies, except this time the Husky wears the statesman's name instead of replacing it. If Trumball had been a farmer it would be a triple play with the names.
