Embrace The Colonel

Nicholls State University, where Grandpère spent well over 30 years of his working life, is named after Francis Tillou Nicholls, who was a brigadier general in the Army of the Confederacy, a two-term governor of Louisiana, and Chief-justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.

For many years, the mascot for the university was a caricature of a soldier in a Confederate Army uniform named The Colonel. (Since Nicholls was a general, why was the mascot called The Colonel?) Several years ago, African-American students, joined by white supporters, complained about having a symbol of the Confederacy as their mascot, with the result that five years ago, the mascot took on a new look. Below is a view of mascot no. 2, still The Colonel. At the time of the change, many folks wanted the name moved away from a symbol of the Confederacy to something entirely new, such as Bobcats, or as someone else suggested, Nutria, but that did not happen. The president of the university did not like Nutria, which is understandable, because the animal is nothing but a big rat.

All traces of the first mascot, the caricature of the soldier with a long white beard in a gray Confederate Uniform, seemed to have been scrubbed from the Nicholls websites. I could not find a picture anywhere.

UPDATE: Saintly Ramblings to the rescue! SR found the image on the Alumni website. I haven't found it on the website, but I'll surely take his word for it, since this is it, except that the hat and the uniform should be gray. What are saints for if not to help us in time of need?



Recently, the university announced the incarnation of mascot no. 3, still named The Colonel. From HoumaToday on the new mascot:

After five years with a simple capital N as its lone symbol — following the retirement of a Confederate-style colonel some found offensive — Nicholls State University has a new mascot.

Wearing a red jacket and wielding a sleek saber, an updated version of the Nicholls colonel will begin appearing today around campus and in Thibodaux stores.

“He’s contemporary-looking and much fiercer than his predecessor,” Nicholls spokeswoman Renee Piper said of the new Col. Tillou.
....

The former mascot, a gray-clad soldier with a thick white beard, was dropped in 2004 amid concerns it represented the Old South and the Confederacy.

Leaders of the on-campus branch of the NAACP were leading voices in the campaign against the colonel. Nicholls President Stephen Hulbert said the old colonel is now “in the past.”

“I am pleased to have the mascot issue resolved,” Hulbert said.

So if you're wondering why I didn't give you a link to the story, it's because I saved the best for last. Oh, how I wish I could reproduce the image of the new mascot in all it's glory, but the picture is stamped "TRADEMARKED - DO NOT COPY".

Ta-dah! Here's the link.

What do you think?

Here's what Brent St. Germain, the sports editor at HoumaToday says of the new mascot:

Is it a Communist soldier?

Or is it a Nazi general?

Apparently, it is neither. It is a Colonel ... make that a Nicholls State Colonel.

Last week, Nicholls State unveiled its long-awaited new Colonel mascot. The new Col. Tillou is more modern looking, as he is wearing an officer's cap and swinging a saber.

It is a stark contrast from the caricature — a white-bearded man dressed in a gray rebel uniform — that was used for 42 years before it was retired in 2004.
....

Although he is clean shaven, younger and fiercer looking, the new Col. Tillou has its share of detractors. Several posts of The Courier and Daily Comet's online forums and a Nicholls State athletic forum have compared the mascot's new look to that of a Soviet soldier or a Third Reich officer.

A poll on The Courier and Daily Comet's website shows that about 85 percent of the voters dislike the new mascot.

That's too bad. Col. Tillou's makeover lasted five years, and after only a few days, some want him to undergo another change.
....

...when the university decided to change the mascot's look, the Colonel name should have also been retired. The university could have closed a chapter in its history.

Picking a new nickname would not have been a problem, especially in south Louisiana.

The university would have hundreds of unique nicknames — Mudbugs, Nutria and my favorite, Swamp Cats — to choose from. Tillou could have remained, but instead of a colonel, he would have been an animal.

I think the new Colonel looks more like a Nazi. He has the "N" on his cap.

Of the other names the editor suggested I like Swamp Cats. That's my choice. But Brent says we are to embrace the new Nazi, uh, Communist, uh, Colonel.

UPDATE: Francis T. Nicholls is buried in St. John's Cemetery, which is behind my church.