Yale introduces Handsome Dan XVIII
http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20161117/yale-introduces-ha...
New Haven Register (http://www.nhregister.com)
Yale introduces Handsome Dan XVIII
By Register Staff
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Yale has a new Handsome Dan.
The university announced Thursday its new mascot,
Handsome Dan XVIII, will arrive in New Haven Friday.
A nationwide search for a the next Yale Bulldog led to the
Olde English Bulldog, born Sept. 23 in Maine. He was part
of a litter that included a brother and five sisters.
Sherman (Handsome Dan XVII), passed away in August
after serving as the most famous mascot in college sports
for more than nine years.
Handsome Dan is the nation’s oldest collegiate mascot, dating back to 1889, when Andrew Graves, a
football player and rower during the days of Walter Camp, first named Yale’s mascot, according to
Yale’s release.
The bulldog tradition began a few years earlier, in 1890, when Harper, a champion English bulldog,
was brought to football games.
Handsome Dan XVIII will not be at this Saturday’s game at Harvard — he’ll be attending a training
school.
The new keeper of the mascot is Kevin Discepolo, a 2009 Yale graduate and former lacrosse player
who is now Yale’s assistant athletic director of facilities, operations and events. Handsome Dan XVIII
will come to work at Ray Tompkins House, and Discepolo will take Dan on daily walks around
campus, as well as to the many contests hosted by Yale.
“It’s an honor to be involved with such a long-standing Yale tradition,” Discepolo said in a Yale
release. “For over a century, Handsome Dans have provided excitement for Yale students, faculty and
our fans. While this puppy might be the cutest mascot in college athletics, or rather the most
handsome, I’m confident he will grow into a strong and courageous bulldog who will inspire our
student-athletes for many years.”
Chris Getman, who retired as the keeper of Handsome Dan after handling the duties for 31 of the past
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Yale introduces Handsome Dan XVIII
http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20161117/yale-introduces-ha...
33 years, recommended looking for an Olde English Bulldog — a larger, stronger, and healthier
version of the breed.
Yale fans will be able to follow Handsome Dan XVIII on Instagram @HandsomeDanXVIII and
Twitter @HandsomeDan18.
URL: http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20161117/yale-introduces-handsome-dan-xviii
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