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History of Spike the Bulldog
In Gonzaga's early football history, the teams were called the "Blue and Whites" or "The Fighting Irish". After a football game in 1921, a reporter wrote that Gonzaga fought tenaciously like bulldogs. Thus, that description became the new mascot. Over the years, Gonzaga has had numerous live bulldogs as mascots. Human mascots replaced live dogs in 1980 when a Gonzaga student, Mike Griffin, wore a cape and called himself "Captain Zag." He remained the Gonzaga mascot from 1980 until 1982. A few more students donned the Captain Zag uniform before a bulldog mascot returned in 1985. Lee Mauney, a student from Hatchie Bottom, Mississippi, introduced the Gonzaga crowd to the first costumed bulldog mascot in 1985. He held the role from 1985-88. Spike has become synonymous with Gonzaga Athletics. In 2000, Spike rose to national prominence when he was among a group of mascots that appeared in Nike's "Welcome to Bracketville" promotional commercials for the NCAA Tournament. Mascot Opportunities Do you want to be our next Spike? Spike's appearance can be requested at external events where he serves as an ambassador of Gonzaga University in the community. Spike plays an integral role in Gonzaga Athletics, supporting our teams by rallying the crowds, encouraging Bulldog pride, and aiding in on-court and in-game promotions. The mascot position is a voluntary (unpaid) position; however, mascots may receive course credit and the mascots who demonstrate the greatest commitment throughout the year have the opportunity to travel & perform during post-season tournaments.If you are interested in being our new Spike, please email the Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing, Kyle Hoob, at hoob@gonzaga.edu. Mascot Appearance Policy (^ Top) Appearance Fees | Appearance Guidelines | Impermissible Appearances | Transportation Liability for Costume Damage | Payment | Cancellation & Refunds | Photo/Video Spike the Bulldog makes regular appearances at Gonzaga Men's & Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Men's & Women's Soccer, and Baseball games. He can also be found at various University and community events throughout the year. Spike is available to appear at events hosted by not-for-profit entities, birthday parties, weddings, and other non-commercial, private events for a fee. The approval of mascot appearance requests is based on (1) the event's compliance with the appearance guidelines detailed in the next section and (2) mascot availability, with priority given to Gonzaga athletic events. Appearance request approval is at the sole discretion of the Gonzaga Athletic Department. We recommend that you not center your event on an appearance by Spike, but rather that you consider Spike's appearance as a complement to your event, keeping in mind that we are unable to fulfill many requests due to scheduling conflicts. To uphold the University mascot standards, only individuals authorized by the Athletic Department may wear the mascot costume and perform as Spike. For liability reasons, we do not lend the mascot costume.
Appearance Guidelines
The following conveniences must be provided:
The minimum appearance duration is 1 hour. The maximum appearance duration is 3 hours. The safety of our mascots while attending external events is of utmost importance to Gonzaga Athletics. The mascot may excuse himself from any event - without notice and without refund - where he believes his safety may be compromised. Furthermore, mascots are not permitted to wear the costume in inclement weather. The mascot may excuse himself from an outdoor appearance in the event of inclement weather. Impermissible Appearances
Spike will not appear at events that may be reasonably construed as advancing a political agenda or the commercial interests of a business entity that is not a sponsor of Gonzaga Athletics (e.g., store grand opening, political rally). Transportation Spike will provide his own transportation to and from events. Liability for Costume Damage
In the event that any components of the mascot costume are damaged as a result of negligence or misconduct on the part of a guest at an appearance, the requesting organization will be responsible for the repair/replacement costs of each damaged item. Damage repair/replacement cost estimations are listed below: Head: $500 Body: $690 Tail: $160 Shoulder pads: $175 Shoes: $115 Gloves: $35 Clothing: $200 Payment
Payment must be received in full at least 48 hours prior to the confirmed appearance. Payments must be made via Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card online through a CASHNet link that will be provided via a confirmation email to the requester. Failure to remit payment in a timely manner will result in the cancellation of the appearance. Cancellation & Refunds Should an event for which a Spike appearance has been confirmed be canceled, it is the requester's obligation to notify Gonzaga Athletics as soon as possible. If payment has already been received and the notification of cancellation is given within 24 hours of the event, a refund may be issued. In the event that Gonzaga Athletics must cancel a previously confirmed Spike appearance (due to illness, personal emergency, etc.), we will make every effort to provide at least 24 hours' notice and arrange for an alternative appearance. A refund will be issued in the event that an alternative appearance cannot be scheduled. Photos & Video Photos and video taken of Spike may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes without the express consent of the Gonzaga Athletic Department. FAQs (^ Top) Q: Who may request a mascot appearance? A: Anyone may request a Spike appearance; however, submitting a request is no guarantee of an appearance. Spike will not appear at events that may be reasonably construed as advancing a political agenda or the commercial interests of a business entity that is not a sponsor of Gonzaga Athletics (e.g., store grand opening, political rally). Also, Spike does not travel more than 50 miles for appearances. Q: How far in advance should I submit an appearance request? Q: Is there a fee for Spike appearances? Q: How far will Spike travel for an appearance? Q: Can I borrow the mascot costume for my event? |
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