UNH Mascots: Wild E. Cat and Gnarlz

Nickname: Wildcats ('Cats)
 

Origin: The University of New Hampshire adopted "Wildcats" as the school's mascot in the fall of 1926 when a farmer in
Meredith, NH captured a wildcat and kept him in a small cage. The wildcat was then brought to UNH for Homecoming by three Durham townsmen and kept in a cage behind Thompson Hall, the UNH Administrative Building. The wildcat was brought to home games at that time and kept in his cage while at the football games. It wasn't until the fall of 1927 that it was put on a double leash because the Governor's wife had objected to a caged animal at the Homecoming game previously. Thus, the tale of the first "Wild" Wildcat of the University of New Hampshire. Also, UNH had a second Wildcat, "Fudge" in 1969. Owned by a local resident of Rochester, NH, the wildcat was on display by a hand held leash at all home games and was reported to be house broken by its owner Jackson Chick. Fudge was only caged during meals and at night when sleeping according to Mr. Chick. Fudge was the star of a sound motion picture, "The Mascot" which was released after Football season of 1970 to local audiences. Wildcats are said to be the most viscous of all animals in North America. When matured, wildcats are said to be eight times stronger as a human of the same weight is. Thus, a wildcat image perceives a team as strong, agile athletes who fight with an unknown tenaciousness. "Cats" is one of the most common references. 

Wild E. Cat skating at a men's hockey game in 2008

 




GNARLZ

In the fall of 2008, UNH Athletics debuted a new member of the Wildcat mascot team to join Wild E. Cat in entertaining fans.  His name is Gnarlz.  See below for a story about his inception.

A New Cat in Town
By Jody Record, UNH Media Relations
September 24, 2008

Meet Gnarlz, UNH's newest mascot.

The cool cat made his first appearance during Saturday's football game against Albany along with the university's mainstay mascot, Wild E. Cat. Gnarlz has a more athletic physique than Wild E. and will help pump-up UNH students and fans at many Wildcat events this fall.

The idea of adding another team mascot grew from the number of appearance requests that Wild E. Cat receives each year. At first, the intent was to use the same costume design. But further discussions led to creating a more student-friendly look.

Several designs were considered before settling on an athletic, muscular looking character. A grant from the Parents' Association funded the new costume. The name Gnarlz - pronounced "narlz" -- was selected from the more than 50 suggestions received by the athletic department in a Web poll conducted in August.

"Gnarlz is a great addition to UNH because he brings a more athletic and competitive appearance to our events," says Amber Radzevich, assistant athletic director for marketing and communication. "He has been very well received across campus. It's clear that the students are proud of the new look and think he represents what Wildcat pride is all about." 
 

UNH's newest mascot, Gnarlz, prepares to deliver the game ball at a football game

To request an appearance by Wild E. Cat or Gnarlz, please email assistant athletic director for marketing and communications Amber Radzevich at amberr@unh.edu