University of Georgia Athletics

Mascot

July 13, 2006 | General

UGA VI is led onto the field for his first game- South Carolina 1999

  • History of our mascot
  • Uga V's official site
  • UgaVI's official site 
 

In the last 100 years of intercollegiate football, Georgia’s Uga has established himself as the nation’s most well-known mascot. The line of pure white English bulldogs which epitomizes everything Georgia has been owned by the Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler family of Savannah, Ga., since Uga I first graced the campus in 1956.

 

Through the years, Uga has been defined by his spiked collar, a symbol of the position which he holds. He was given his name, an abbreviation for the university, by William Young of Columbus, a law school classmate of Seiler. Each of the Uga mascots is awarded a varsity letter in the form of a plaque, identical to those presented to all Bulldog athletes who letter in their respective sports.

As determined and published by the Pittsburgh Press, the University of Georgia is the only major college that actually buries its mascots within the confines of the stadium. Ugas I, II, III, IV and V are buried in marble vaults near the main gate in the embankment of the South stands. Epitaphs to the dogs are inscribed in bronze, and before each home game, flowers are placed on their graves. The memorial plot attracts hundreds of fans and visitors each year.

 For the past 20 years, Uga’s jerseys have been custom-made at the beginning of each season from the same material used for the players’ jerseys. Old jerseys are destroyed.

Uga’s on-field home is a permanent air-conditioned doghouse located next to the cheerleaders' platform, providing comfort in the heat of August and September. The custom-made doghouse is a gift from the Bahamian Bulldog Club of Nassau, Bahamas, through the courtesy of Fred Hazlewood.

From coast to coast and from generation to generation, the Uga heritage lives as one of America's proudest, and most unique, mascot traditions.

 

 

Uga Through the Years...
Mascot Years Record Accomplishments
Uga I 1956-66 (through 10/14) 53-48-6 -Won SEC (1959)
-Bowls (2)
Uga II 1966-71 42-16-3 -Won SEC (1966 and 1968)
-Bowls (5)
Uga III 1972-80 71-32-2 -Won SEC (1976 and 1980)
-Won NCAA (1980)
-Bowls (6)
Uga IV 1981-1989 77-27-4 -Won SEC (1981 and 1982)
-Bowls (9)
Uga V 1990-99 (through 9/4) 65-39-1 -Named Best Mascot In the Country by Sports Illustrated
- Bowls (5)
Uga VI 1999-2004 54-18 -2002 SEC Champs
-now in his sixth season
-Bowls (6)

Special Appearances

Bowl Games (season)
I Orange 59, Sun 64
II Cotton 66, Liberty 67, Sugar 68, Sun 69, Gator 71
III Peach 73, Tangerine 74, Cotton 75, Sugar 76, Bluebonnet 78, Sugar 80
IV Sugar 81, Sugar 82, Cotton 83, Citrus 84, Sun 85, Hall of Fame 86, Liberty 87, Gator 88, Peach 89
V Independence 91, Florida Citrus 92, Peach 95, Outback 97, Peach 98
VI Outback 99, Music City Bowl 01, Sugar 03, Capital One 04, Outback 05

Other Sporting Events & Banquets
Men’s Basketball Final Four, Albuquerque, N.M, 1983 (IV)
Men’s Basketball SEC Championships, 1990 (IV)
Heisman Trophy Banquet, Dec. 9, 1982 (IV)
Coronation of NCAA Men’s Tennis Champions, 1999 (V)

Miscellaneous
Sports Illustrated Cover, April 28, 1997 (V)
Sports Illustrated (IV, V, VI)
ESPN’s College Gameday
Time (IV)
Newsweek (IV)
Football News (IV)
SportMagazine (IV)
The Animal’s Who’s Who (III)
Featured on the Animal Planet (VI)
Dog Fancy Magazine (VI)
1997 movie, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” (V)
1976 movie, “Gator,” (III)
2001 Emmy-winning episode of Tunner South’s Liar’s and Legends
Honorary Chairman, American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, 1984 (IV)
Grand Marshal, UGA Homecoming Parade, 1999 (V)
Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame (I, II, III)
St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Savannah (IV, VI)
Blessing of the Fleet, Darien, Ga. (IV)
Onion Festival Parade, Glennville, Ga. (IV)
Cotton Bowl Parade, 1984 (IV)
Peach Bowl Parade, 1973 (III)
Orange Bowl Parade, 1959 (I)
Grand Opening of UGA National AlumniCenter (VI)
Alumni, Bulldog Club and Touchdown Club Meetings
Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia Senate Chamber
Georgia Governor’s Office
Reception for Georgia Congressmen in Washington D.C. 2002 (VI)

Charitable Functions
March of Dimes, Easter Seals, Heart Fund, Humane Society, Boy’s Clubs

 

BMW AD Update with Josh Brooks and Jordan Ross
Friday, February 06
2025 Arch Award - Colby Gardner
Tuesday, October 21
Recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month
Tuesday, September 30
Dawgs Choice Awards 2025
Thursday, May 01