Macalester College in St. Paul chose to do a refresh for its team colors and mascot as part of its 150th anniversary and after a long process involving input from thousands of students and alumni, the university as decided on a cow.
Well, specifically it’s a Highland Cow, which is a little more menacing than a typical cow, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
The decision replaces Mac the Scot, who became a costumed figure in 2005 but didn’t “represent the full breadth of our community or our athletics program” according to the school’s website announcing the search for a new mascot.
Our mascot at @Macalester is, uhhhhh, pretty chill. #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/AmdgU8DTFp
— Howard Sinker (@afansview) November 9, 2019
Macalester College’s guidelines for the new mascot were “something that embodied a fierce and competitive spirit, unified the campus and larger community, is relevant across generations to Macalester’s experience or history, works equally well for women’s and men’s sports teams, can translate well visually and is unique among our peer set and is not an established mark outside of our peer set.”
The process began in January and the design phase took place between March and April. The Highland Cow and Nessie the Loch Ness Monster were finalists for the new mascot, and Macalester Athletic Director Donnie Brooks told the Star Tribune that the decision for the Highland Cow to become the new mascot for the Scots “wasn’t even close.”
According to Highland Titles, the Highland Cow is the oldest registered breed of cattle in the world and are referred by Scots as “hairy” or “fluffy” cows. With distinctive horns, a Highland Cow can be a range of colors and typically weigh from 900 to 1,300 pounds with bulls weighing 1,500 to 2,000 pounds.
By comparison, a typical dairy cow doesn’t have the long horns and the shaggy hair of the Highland Cow but weighs around 1,400 pounds.
While the Highland Cow also appears menacing, it’s one of the most docile forms of cattle even being kept as pets dating back tot he year 1200 A.D.
The blue and orange Highland Cow will now become the symbol of Macalester athletics. New uniforms and merchandise with the cow is set to debut this fall and while Mac the Scott is set to make his final appearance with the school’s pipe band’s performance in the world championships in Glasgow this August, a new mascot depicting the Highland Cow will debut in October.
