How Indiana lost, remembered and revived its 50-year-old bison mascot - ESPN

What, exactly, is a hoosier?

It's a riddle pondered by many. The simplest answer is the strongest: It's a person from Indiana. The specifics, though, get more difficult.

There have been dozens of theories and explanations over the years. A bill filed to the Indiana House of Representatives in 2023 cited Harry Hoosier, a former slave-turned-Methodist preacher who passed away in 1806, as the origin of the nickname. The Indiana Historical Bureau notes a number of possible written origins for the word on its website, including references to a poem and a boat from the 19th century.

This uncertainty has long put Indiana University athletics, whose squads have been nicknamed the Hoosiers for well over a century, in a strange spot. There's little doubt Indiana's teams play under a fitting moniker. But what sort of image represents a hoosier? What type of mascot should cheer on the teams?

A number of proposed mascots, official and unofficial, vied for the hearts of the Hoosier faithful throughout the 20th century. A goat, collie and bulldog were among the options that made bids, as well as the infamous 1979 reign of "Mr. Hoosier Pride," a bizarre cowboy-like figure described in one letter to the editor of the Indiana Daily Student as «the most asinine and ridiculous-looking character anyone could have ever dreamed up to be IU's mascot.»

But none of Indiana's assorted short-lived forays into mascot-ery caught the attention of students and alumni quite like the bison.

In October 1965, Indiana adopted the bison as the school's new mascot, based on the animal's former migration history in the region and representation on the state seal. A month later, a bison mascot was officially unveiled ahead of the school's football game with