So what does a red-tailed hawk have to do with the DU Pioneers?

Nearly a decade ago, the university changed its mascot from a coonskin-capped mountaineer named Denver Boone to a Ruckus, whose red cape supposedly looks like the feather of a red-tailed hawk that used to make its home on the prairie and the in the foothills during the pioneer era.

Denver Boone, the official DU mascot, drawn by Walt Disney in 1968, was unceremoniously retired. At the time, reasons ranged from his obvious lack of sophistication to his portrayal of the Western stereotype of a man. After all, Denver Boone was a male pioneer and that could be viewed as awkward for the women’s lacrosse team.

In recent years, there has been a student-led grassroots movement to replace Ruckus with Boone, with students and alumni going so far as creating T-shirts and pins for the campus community. However last October, Chancellor Robert D. Coombe decided that Boone will not return as the official mascot, ending nearly one year of discussions in the administration, the taskforce and the student government.

“The old Boone figure is one that does not reflect the broad diversity of the DU community,” he wrote an e-mail sent to students and alumni.

“Consequently, I have decided that Boone will not become the official mascot of the University.”

Coombe said in his e-mail that the “arched Denver” logo is our “major symbol” due its recognition on campus and in the media.

“One thing is certain – we will always be the Pioneers,” wrote Coombe. 

“While I certainly appreciate the genuine enthusiasm behind the ‘bring back Boone’ movement, the University simply cannot adopt an official mascot that has a divisive rather than unifying influence on our community,” Coombe continued.

Although Boone has been declared unofficial, the Chancellor encouraged students to honor him as part of DU’s history and traditions.

“The image will not be used in any official manner by the university, nor will we provide financial support for its use by others,” Coombe’s e-mail said.

Despite the administration’s dislike of Boone, some 200 students, alumni and fans have raised over $8,000 to create an unofficial Pioneer mascot, modeled after Boone.

“We kept hoping that the University of Denver would reconsider its decision in the fall to mothball Boone,” Damien Goddard, class of 1988 said. “When it became obvious that no amount of letter writing, e-mails or public relations would change the decision, we changed our tactics.”

Goddard is still very active in the DU community and also the creator of LetsGoDU.blogspot.com, a blog that follows DU in the news with videos, photos and score updates.

The unofficial mascot can be seen around campus and at athletic events.