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UNH Mascots: Wild E. Cat and Gnarlz Origin: The University of New Hampshire adopted
"Wildcats" as the school's mascot in the fall of 1926 when a farmer
in
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. 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."
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 |
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