Bully (mascot)

Mississippi State's athletics teams have had a variety of different nicknames throughout the years. The teams were called the "Aggies," as a reference to the school's agricultural roots as Mississippi A&M College. When the school officially became Mississippi State College in 1932, the teams adopted the nickname "Maroons," as that was the color of their uniforms. "Bulldogs" became the official nickname for State teams in 1961 after the school had been granted university status a few years prior, but use of the nickname dates back to at least 1905. ==Ptolemy==

In 1935, Mississippi State head football coach Major Ralph Sasse acquired an English Bulldog in an effort to inspire his team. The dog was named "Ptolemy" (after the Greek mathematician and astronomer Claudius Ptolemy), and was affectionately nicknamed "Tol." The dog was "rented" from the Edgar Webster family in Memphis to serve as the team's mascot. After Tol's arrival, Mississippi State defeated both Army (a college football powerhouse during that era) and Alabama. After the team posted an 8–3 record, State fans agreed that bringing on a mascot had been a good move, so Joe Rice Dockery (an alumnus and the proprietor of Dockery Farms), bought a bulldog named "Bully," a littermate of Ptolemy, and presented him to the school as a gift. ==Bully==

Ptolemy's littermate became the first mascot called "Bully" shortly after Sasse's team beat mighty Army 13–7 at West Point that same year, perhaps the greatest victory in MSU football history. But Bully (retroactively named "Bully I") earned other fame the hard way, in November 1939 when he was struck and killed by a campus bus. Bully III (1942) was donated to Mississippi State by J.W. Parker of West Point in March 1942, but little information exists as to his tenure as mascot, as he is never mentioned again after the July 1942 edition of The Reflector. The other dog representing Bully VI ("Bully VI-B") was bought from Oklahoma City Kennels and given to the school as a gift in November 1947. This Bully served as the freshman team's mascot until BDOC's death in 1951, at which point Bully VI-B took over mascot duties for both the freshman and varsity teams through May 1952. Tonka died on June 28, 2011, at the age of 11. Bully XX ("Champ") "Champ" was the 20th English bulldog to serve as the official mascot of Mississippi State University. Champ was sired by TaTonka Gold (Bully XIX) on September 24, 2006. He was registered by the American Kennel Club under the name "TaTonka's Golden Sun." In October 2014, Champ sired the next Mississippi State mascot, Bully XXI (Jak), who assumed mascot duties following the Maroon and White Spring Game on April 18, 2015. Champ retired with an overall record of 46-31 (.597), featuring wins in the Gator Bowl, Music City Bowl, and Liberty Bowl during his tenure, as well as a trip to the Orange Bowl and the first #1 poll ranking ever achieved by Mississippi State football. Champ died on August 21, 2016. Bully XXI ("Jak") Jak was the 21st English Bulldog to serve as the official mascot of Mississippi State University. His formal name is "Cristil's Golden Prince" named in honor of the long-time radio voice Jack Cristil. Jak was sired by "Champ" (Bully XX) in October 2014. He took over for Champ on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the Maroon and White spring football game. Bully XXII ("Dak") Dak is the 22nd English Bulldog to serve as the official mascot of Mississippi State University. His formal name is "Mississippi State Gold N Son Prescott", nicknamed, "Dak". In late March 2023, Mississippi State University announced the next English Bulldog in the line of live mascots. Taking his name from previous Mississippi State quarterback & current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, "Dak" (Bully XXII) took over mascot duties from the current mascot "Jak" (Bully XXI) on April 15, 2023, at halftime of the 2023 Spring Football game during Super Bulldog Weekend. The ceremony included the "passing of the harness" and blessing ceremony. "Dak" was born March 1, 2021 and is owned by Julie & Bruce Martin of Meridian, MS. "He is very playful. He wants to be around other people," said Julie Martin, his owner. "He will exhaust himself, actually, to just go to every single person." Whether roaming the sidelines at Davis Wade Stadium, soaking in the sights and sounds at The Dude, or guarding the baseline at The Hump, “Dak” looks forward to looking out onto the sea of maroon and white for MSU sporting events, living out any Bulldog’s dream. He is proud to represent Mississippi State University and one of the Bulldogs’ greatest football players by continuing one of MSU’s greatest traditions. == Costumed Bully ==

The first costumed mascot appeared at Mississippi State during the 1964–1965 school year. By 1971, a more professional costume was created and the character was, like the live bulldog, called "Bully." Throughout the early 1970s, Bully was a white bulldog with a brindled patch around one of his eyes and a spiked collar around his neck. By the mid-1970s, Bully's look changed again so that he had dark brown fur and no collar. In 1980, a more cartoonish Bully graced the sidelines at Mississippi State games, one that looks similar to the one seen in the present day. During the early 1980s, he typically wore a tank top and/or maroon or white shorts if wearing any clothes at all, but as years passed, he more frequently wore Mississippi State's uniform for whatever sport he was appearing at. Today, Bully's team consists of six students plus an alternate. Each Bully receives $800 per semester scholarship for their first year and $1,000 per semester scholarship for each additional year as a team member, as well as camp clothes, camp fees, mascot uniforms and travel expenses. Beginning the 2008–2009 school year, Mississippi State added a Bully mascot to its Meridian campus. The Meridian campus Bully also attends UCA College Mascot camp and receives camp clothes, a mascot uniform, and a $150 per semester scholarship. The student later sued ESPN and Mississippi State for more than $75,000 in damages, claiming negligence on the part of ESPN and the university. ==See also==