{"id":925,"date":"2011-01-19T16:27:58","date_gmt":"2011-01-19T20:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/?p=925"},"modified":"2015-12-21T15:35:47","modified_gmt":"2015-12-21T15:35:47","slug":"the-wildcat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/encyclopedia\/the-wildcat","title":{"rendered":"Wildcat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fierce
\n\"Cartoon<\/p>\n

\u201c[Many] schools call themselves Wildcats and I am very sorry for there ought to be just one school by the name of Wildcat and that is that little Calvinistic, Presbyterian, fire eating, Bluestocking, Covenanter, dissenting Scotch-Irish school down in the wilds of upper Mecklenburg County.\u201d
\n\u2013 Henry T. Lilly ’18<\/p>\n

Origins of the Name<\/strong><\/p>\n

For almost a century, the “Wildcat” has been Davidson\u2019s proud mascot. Our first mascots were the children of professors, while our athletes were referred to as \u201cPresbyterians,\u201d \u201cPreachers,\u201d and the \u201cRed and Black.\u201d It was not until 1918 that the Wildcat became our nickname and mascot.Theories on its origin abound but the story with the most evidence is that Albert Potts ’19 who gets the credit. As he recalls it:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was at Davidson, \u2026 I undertook.. the job of writing sports stories for the Atlanta and Charlotte newspapers\u2026 At that time. The Davidson teams had no definite nickname, and the newspapers referred to our teams as the \u2018Preachers\u2019 and other random nicknames which did not seem to suit the fighting qualities and high spirit of Davidson teams\u2026 So I began using \u2018Wildcats\u2019 as a term for Davidson teams in these stories, and so far as I know, that was the beginning of this usage.\u201d
\n– Albert S. Potts<\/p>\n

After a victory over Auburn in 1917,\u00a0 the Atlanta Constitution headlined the story \u201cWildcats Twist Tigers\u2019 Tail.\u201d and shortly after that the wildcat image made its first appearance in yearbook and then regularly on the pages of the student newspaper.<\/p>\n

Potts choice of wildcat does have some history at Davidson– at least according to one tale of a prank in1892-93.. A rumor started that a wildcat could be heard prowling and crying on campus at night. A few students made a wildcat out of wire and rags to play a prank on a friend. Full Account<\/a><\/p>\n

Real-Live Wildcats<\/strong><\/p>\n

Little is known about the first live Wildcat, only that he was the first \u201cFelix.\u201d The second wildcat, Felix II, died in 1927 after awing students for three years:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Davidsonian<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Wildcat [10 November 1921] <\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u201cFelix\u2019s ability to make away with chicken has long been an object of wonder and amazement for many Davidson students. The procedure is as follows: A full-grown hen is thrown into the cage. As lithe figure leaps down on the hen form above. An agonized \u2018squawk,\u2019 and the wild cat glares his defiance at the wondering students, and if he hopes just one of them will dispute his rightful ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon the death of this beloved mascot, Felix II\u2019s skin was stuffed, mounted, and placed in the trophy room.<\/p>\n

That same year, two new wildcats appeared on campus. A yearling \u201cMin\u201d was purchased by the student body for $35. Captured when she was a kitten, Min was fairly tame and could be led about. \u201cTom\u201d was donated by Mr. Hansell Watt, of Thomasville, Ga., who captured him in Monticello, Fl. Tom was noted for his ferocity and \u201cfighting spirit.\u201d Tom and Min produced two little wild-kittens.<\/p>\n

At an unknown date, Felix III, a \u201cpampered and petted mascot\u201d with a \u201cferocious appearance\u201d arrived on campus. In his early days he was the glory of the campus and the teams, but as he aged his popularity fell. \u201cMaybe Davidson man became too sophisticated to put their faith in such a mascot as Felix, but more probably they just tired of the snarling little cat.\u201d Felix was cared for by Doc White until Felix\u2019s death of old age in 1941, shortly after the end of the school year.<\/p>\n

In 1961, our final living, breathing wildcat arrived on campus. Feeding and care fell to the cheerleaders, though President Grier Martin<\/a> considered creating the \u201cWildcat Scholarship\u201d for a student feeder. The wildcat was named \u201cPeter Stuart Ney II\u201d (he is also referred to as \u201cPeter Stuart Ney IV,\u201d perhaps because he was almost named \u201cFelix IV\u201d). He received a plush new cage from the class of 1962, though he was still fed the limited diet of one-half a chicken a day. Head cheerleader Joe Martin \u201962 recalls affectionately that \u201c[a]fter spending time\u2026 building a cage, giving up my blankets so that cat could keep warm, and staying up night talking to him to keep him from getting too lonely, I became pretty attached to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Bronze<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Wildcat statue [2007] <\/em><\/strong>9-1285<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The World\u2019s Largest Wildcat<\/strong><\/p>\n

For almost a decade, the college held a record. On September 28, 2001, what was then the world\u2019s largest Wildcat arrived on campus. \u201cWeighing 1,500 pounds and measuring eleven feet from outstretched paw to tail,\u201d the bronze statue was a gift from Irwin Belk \u201945. It was sculpted by Jodi Hollhagel and Hanna Jubran. The statue was placed between Richardson Stadium and Baker Sports Complex<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Images<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Wildcat by Decade<\/a> | The Wildcat Costume<\/a> | The Wildcat on Memorabilia<\/a><\/p>\n

Top of Page<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Wildcat – Works Cited<\/p>\n

“College Snares Live Cat: From Pet Shop To Swamp.” Davidsonian. 6 October 1961. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

Fairly, John. “Death Claims Local Mascot.” Davidsonian. 30 October 1941. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

Giduz, Bill. “The ‘Big Wildcat’ Arrives on Campus.” Davidson News and Events Website. 8 October 2001. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

“Growl of Mascot Silenced by Death.” Davidsonian. 22 September 1927. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

Lily, Henry T. Letter. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

Loflin, Tom. “Capricious ‘Cat Report: Ney Not Underachieving.” Davidsonian. 5 October 1962. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

Loflin, Tom. “Mascot Gets Name… Peter Stuart Ney Lives On!” Davidsonian. 20 October 1961. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

“Oldtimer Recalls Wildcat’s Origin.” Davidsonian. 8 February 1952. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

“The Original Wildcats Return to Campus for Big Reunion.” Davidsonian. 16 October 1953. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

Tarr, Brian. “Wildcat Lore.” Davidson Journal. Summer 1992. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

“Two New Wildcats Take Place of Former Mascot.” Davidsonian. 3 November 1927: 1. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

“Why They’re Wildcats.” Alumni Journal. December 1955. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

“Worthy Successor to Faithful ‘Felix’ Wildcat Mascot, Found in Murphy, N.C.” Davidsonian. 29 September 1927: 1. Wildcat Mascot Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.<\/p>\n

Author: Tammy Ivins
\nDate: November 2007<\/p>\n

Cite as: Ivins, Tammy. “The Wildcat” Davidson Encyclopedia November 2007 <http:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/encyclopedia\/the-wildcat\/><\/p>\n

Related Entries: Varsity Athletics<\/a>, Baseball<\/a>, Basketball<\/a>, Football<\/a>, Soccer<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201c[Many] schools call themselves Wildcats and I am very sorry for there ought to be just one school by the name of Wildcat and that is that little Calvinistic, Presbyterian, fire eating, Bluestocking, Covenanter, dissenting Scotch-Irish school down in the wilds of upper Mecklenburg County.\u201d \u2013 Henry T. Lilly ’18 Origins of the Name For […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/925"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22092,"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/925\/revisions\/22092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}