History
The origin of Shasta dates back to 1927 when John R. Bender, a former head football coach of the Washington State Cougars came to Houston. Because of his fondness for the animal, Bender decided it would be the name of his new teams. Later that year, the school newspaper actively used the name, and other student organizations followed.
In 1946, the cougar was named the official mascot by the University as Houston as it became involved in intercollegiate sports. The next year, the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity raised funds to purchase a live cougar for the university, and held a contest to name it. Among 225 other entries, student Joe Randol won the contest with the following submission: "Shasta (She has to). Shasta have a cage, Shasta have a keeper, Shasta have a winning ball club, Shasta have the best." The first runner-up was "Raguoc" (cougar spelled backwards).
From 1947 until 1989 a live cougar mascot was used. However from 1989 until 2012, Shasta existed as only a costumed mascot. Although a current live mascot was adopted by the university through a partnership with the Houston Zoo, a costumed student is still used for game appearances.
Read more about this topic: Shasta (mascot)
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