Pioneer Pete
From 1867 to the early 1920s, the University of Denver's sports teams were known informally as the "Fighting Parsons" or "Ministers" in homage to the school's Methodist founders. In 1925, a student contest was held to formalize the nickname, and "Pioneers" was chosen in homage to the University of Denver's western settlers, who founded the school 12 years before Colorado became a state and Colorado was a sparsely populated territory.
DU's first live mascot was a bearded character who came to be named "Pioneer Pete" who first appeared in the 1930s. Pioneer Pete resembled a rugged, coonskin capped trapper, revived from Colorado's early pioneer days. His likeness was most closely associated with the DU football program. When the DU football program ceased operations in the early 1960s, Pioneer Pete disappeared as well.
Read more about this topic: Denver Boone
Famous quotes containing the word pioneer:
“Mead had studied for the ministry, but had lost his faith and took great delight in blasphemy. Capt. Charles H. Frady, pioneer missionary, held a meeting here and brought Mead back into the fold. He then became so devout that, one Sunday, when he happened upon a swimming party, he shot at the people in the river, and threatened to kill anyone he again caught desecrating the Sabbath.”
—For the State of Nebraska, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)