What the $#*& is a Moc and How Did it Become Our Mascot?

I know. Most people make their college decisions based on the school's mascot. I mean, really, how could you not go with UTC after learning it has the best. mascot. ever. - WE ARE THE MOCS! What? You say you don't know what that even means? You've been keeping yourself awake at night wondering

What the $#*& is a Moc?

 The "Self-Guided Walking Tour of UTC" says this:

Named after legendary football coach A.C. “Scrappy” Moore, Scrappy, the Chattanooga mascot, is a fixture for the Mocs. A re-design in 2008 puts Scrappy in the image of the State Bird of Tennessee, a Mockingbird. The mockingbird is known as a fierce protector of its nest and environment. Once described by “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon as “a sledge-hammer wielding mock-ingbird with a heart of Blue & Gold,” Scrappy symbolizes that competitive passion.

Clearly, that is not the whole story. The history of the UTC mascot is an interesting one, so sit right down, and Dr. Y will tell you kids all about it. Once upon a time, there was a University in Chattanooga that had a mascot. That mascot was "Chief Moccanooga," and he was a fierce Native American in traditional (ie...Halloweenish, not culturally accurate, irrelevant to history) Indian garb, including, that's right, moccasins. In fact, the team nickname "Moccasins" likely came from the "Moccasin Bend" in the Tennessee river, but it's pretty hard to get a crowd fired up under the leadership of a shoe, so Chief Moccanooga was a better fit.

In the mid-nineties, the Tennessee Council on Indian Affairs and the Chattanooga InterTribal Association began to request the removal of the mascot on the grounds that it was offensive, one-dimensional, and dumb. Well, they made it sound smarter than that, but you get the point. There was A LOT of controversy over the issue, and you can go here to see a collection of the press clippings on it (photo credit goes to the linked site as well - darkfiber.com).

In July of 1996, the University made the difficult decision to honor the request of the CIA and discontinue our relationship with the Chief. In his place arose Scrappy, the fighting Mockingbird you see at games today. And lest you think a Mockingbird is something to be mocked, I offer you this:


That's one mean bird. #gomocs

Cheers,
Dr. Y