Jack the Bulldog is the official

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

of the

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Hoyas athletic teams. The school has employed at least eight live

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.bull terriers, were associated with the sports teams before 1962. In 2009, the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...

ranked Jack as the 8th most popular dog in American culture. Today, Georgetown is among thirty-nine American universities to use a bulldog as their mascot, with

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

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Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, and

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being the only others with a live bulldog. Jack is also portrayed by a

costumed character A costumed performer or suit performer wears a costume that usually, (but not always) covers the performer's face, typically to represent a non-human character such as a mascot or cartoon character. These range from theme park "walk-around" or "m ...

Bulldog mascot, a tradition dating to 1977. In 2019, a campus editorial called for replacing the bulldog with a rescue dog, in part because of the health problems and short lifespans that many bulldogs face.

Early dogs

Dogs have been associated with the school's sports teams on an unofficial basis since the late nineteenth century. Early dog mascots may have included a mutt called Hoya around 1900, a

Borzoi The Borzoi or Russian Hunting Sighthound is a Russian breed of hunting dog of sighthound type. It was formerly used for wolf hunting, and until 1936 was known as the Russian Wolfhound. Etymology The system by which Russians over the ages ...

named Richmond Jack in 1906, a bulldog named Hoya in 1907, and a Boston

Bull Terrier The Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. There is also a miniature version of this breed which is officially known as the Miniature Bull Terrier. Appearance The Bull Terrier's most recognizable feature is its head, described ...

in 1911. At that time, most mascots were primarily associated with the school's football team, and were cared for by students or individual sports teams, rather than the administration. Hoya I 1927 Domesday close crop

Sergeant Stubby Sergeant Stubby (1916 – March 16, 1926) was a dog and the unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment (United States) and was assigned to the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. He served for 18 months and participated in 17 battles o ...

, a part bull terrier and a decorated

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war dog Dogs in warfare have a very long history starting in Ancient history, ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as scouts, sentries, Courier, messengers, mercy dogs, and Tracking (dog), trackers, their uses have been varied and s ...

, came to campus in 1921 with J. Robert Conroy who was attending

Georgetown Law The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

at the time. The school football team used Stubby as a popular

halftime show A halftime show is a performance given during the brief period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of div ...

where he would push a football across the field, which established him as a campus celebrity. After Stubby died in 1926, the team then chose a female bull terrier named Jazz Bo, who had been brought to campus by

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student Paul Van Laanen. Jazz Bo was retitled "Hoya" by the students, after the traditional "

Hoya Saxa Hoya Saxa ( ) is the official cheer and "college yell" of Georgetown University and its athletics teams. The term is an Ancient Greek word usually transliterated from as from the word () meaning "such" or "what" as in "what manner of", and is ...

" school cheer. The athletic teams are possibly named, in turn, for this dog. When "Hoya" gave birth to a daughter, students named the puppy "Saxa". Other bull terriers like Saxa filled in as mascot until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when athletics at the school paused during the war. After the war, a series of

Great Dane The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the world ...

s, named Bo, Butch, and Hobo, served as mascot.

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, author of ''

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'', was one of the students to care for Butch. During this time period mascot abductions by rival schools became a common threat to the animal's safety. A bull terrier costume was also briefly used by the school, but in 1951, the school suspended the football program as part of a larger backlash against university sports. This left the school without a mascot.

Royal Jacket

In 1962, with the resumption of football, students Stan Samorajczyk and John Feldmann, editors of ''

The Hoya ''The Hoya'', founded in 1920, is the oldest and largest student newspaper of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., serving as the university’s newspaper of record. ''The Hoya'' is a student-run paper that prints every Friday and publish ...

'' campus newspaper, founded a committee to raise money for the purchase of a new mascot dog in time for the first new games in 1964. This committee chose a

purebred Purebreds are "cultivated varieties" of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be "pedigreed". Purebreds breed true-to-type which means the p ...

English Bulldog as the dog which would represent Georgetown students because of their "tenacity." Samorajczyk also followed the sports team jerseys, which may have previously had an image of a bulldog on them. Around this time the school also adopted as the official logo of the athletics program a new drawing in blue and gray school colors of the bulldog. This logo dog wears a cap typical of the

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which other freshman at the time had to wear. For $150 the committee bought a two-year-old blue-ribbon-champion

show dog A show dog might refer to any dog entered into a dog show. More specifically, a ''show dog'' is a dog which has been specially bred, trained, and/or groomed to conform to the specifications of dog shows, so as to have a chance of winning. Often u ...

named "Lil-Nan's Royal Jacket," named because the colors of his

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looked like a jacket. This dog was to be renamed "Hoya" like his 1926 predecessor, but refused to respond to any name other than his call name "Jack." Jack lived outside New South Hall in a heated

doghouse A doghouse, also known as a kennel, is an outbuilding to provide shelter for a dog from various weather conditions. Background Humans and domesticated dogs have been companions for more than 15,000 years, beginning with the wolf and hunter–ga ...

. In 1967, Royal Jacket retired and was replaced by a second bulldog who continued under the simple name "Jack." In 1977, as the basketball program gained popularity, the costumed mascot took over duties as Jack. The costume, first worn by student Pat Sheehan, has been updated numerous times, most recently in 2013. Other live bulldogs owned by students at times joined the costumed Jack, including one named Rocky from 1982 to 1985 and one named Daisy in 1997.

John P. Carroll

In 1998, Michael Boyle, Austin Martin, and Kathleen Long, co-founders of the Hoya Blue fan club began a campaign to revive the tradition of an official live mascot with the assistance of English professor Father Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. The "Bring Back Jack" Campaign initially sought to find a suitable dog among the students and faculty, as the university did not want to use school funds for the purchase. Ultimately, Hoya Blue raised $1,500 to purchase a new puppy named Jack (officially, John P. Carroll) and placed him in the care of Father Pilarz on February 16, 1999. However, after four years, Jack left Georgetown with Pilarz, who was named president of the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...

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in 2003, and then president of

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

in 2011. John P. Carroll died on September 16, 2011 at the home of Pilarz's parents in

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, at the age of 12. Donations from Hoya Blue, the Hoya Hoop Club, the Office of the President, and alumni allowed for the purchase of the third incarnation of Jack (born 2003).

John S. Carroll

Jack was born May 3, 2003 at Brookhollow Kennel in

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as a litter of one. He was the son of champion bulldog Copper Kid and a relation of Rocky the 1983 mascot. He was brought to campus on July 19, 2003 and placed in the care of Father Christopher Steck, S.J., a theology professor. His official name, as registered with the

was Brookhollow's John S. Carroll, which allows for the nickname Jack. This referred to Georgetown founder

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

, while "S." stood for Steck. Similarly the previous mascot was officially John P. Carroll, for Pilarz. He was also infrequently referred to as Jack IV, as the school was unsure of the exact number of dogs used as Jack in the 1970s. Jack lived with Father Christopher Steck in New South Hall, but spent time in Wolfington Hall Jesuit Residence. In 2003, Father Steck started the "Jack Crew", a six-student organization of Jack's walkers and caretakers. Crew members were required to be able to show their school spirit and their ability to control Jack, including being aware of his affinity for orange traffic cones. Jack had both an email address, a

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profile, a student ID card, and a local phone number, and the campus directory listed him as part of the theology faculty, like Father Steck. Jack attended home basketball games at the Verizon Center, where he entertained fans by attacking a cardboard box decorated with opponents' logos. This tradition developed after Steck discovered Jack's propensity for attacking boxes of brownie mix, and he originally decorated boxes for the games himself. Jack wore a leather collar studded with Georgetown pins, and occasionally wore a team jersey sporting the number one, which Steck purchased at the school bookstore. On campus, Jack attended student meetings and could be booked for social functions. He weighed and his color was described as "red fawn." Jack's personality was described as very social, but imperious and stubborn with "a sense of entitlement." On March 11, 2012, Jack tore his ACL, and had to have surgery to repair it on April 23, 2012. In March 2013, school announced that Jack would "retire" from gameday duties after the end of the 2012–13 basketball season, and officially take a smaller role. Jack continued to live on campus with Steck until his death on June 2, 2015.

Jack Junior

On March 30, 2012, Georgetown announced the donation of a new bulldog puppy from

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breeders Janice and Marcus Hochstetler, whose children Nathan and Rachel attend the school. The school named the puppy Jack Junior, or "J.J.", and his father was a breed champion, while his mother, named Treasure, and grandmother still live with the Hochstetler family. The puppy, who has been described as "laid back," was introduced to the community at a ceremony on April 13, 2012. Students discovered during Homecoming 2012 that J.J. has an affinity for balloons, and during Midnight Madness he attacked blue and orange balloons, colors of Georgetown's arch-rival,

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He had his debut at the Verizon Center on January 26, 2013 during a men's basketball victory over the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. On February 8, 2013, Jack and J.J. met with

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...

's mascots, Blue II and Blue III, who were in town on a goodwill tour to

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members. However, during the summer 2013, trainers at the school determined that, given the "exciting and hectic" life required of the school's mascot, it would be best for J.J. to return to a home environment, announcing their decision on July 31, 2013. An incident involving a small child during the fall 2012 semester, and a subsequent settlement with the child's family, may have contributed to the school's decision, though Georgetown spokesperson Rachel Pugh said it wasn't the only factor. Caretaker Rev. Christopher Steck, S.J. was surprised by the schools decision, and published a letter expressing his disappointment. In an editorial in ''

'', Steck also lamented the school's choice not to involve the Bulldog Advisory Committee, which began meeting earlier in the summer, in its decision. After a search by Steck, J.J. was adopted by a family close to the Georgetown campus on August 18, 2013.

John B. Carroll

On August 30, 2013, Pugh announced the arrival of a new puppy, also from the Hochstetler family and an offspring of Treasure, J.J.'s mother, though they come from different litters. Officially named Compatible's John B. Carroll, the dog's middle name stands for "Bulldog", unlike his predecessors, where the middle name referred to the caretaker's name. He was born on June 29, 2013 and was introduced on campus in late October 2013 with appearances at a men's soccer game against DePaul on October 23, and around Copley Lawn and Leo J. O'Donovan Hall. Jack weighs and his color is described as "

fawn Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

." In early October 2013, the school announced that Steck would not be the new mascot's caretaker, but that another, not necessarily a Jesuit, would be selected from the Georgetown community. On November 5, 2013, the school choose 2013 graduate McKenzie Stough as the bulldog's caretaker. Besides being an alumna, McKenzie works as a Communications Specialist in the university's Office of Communications. Responding to criticism, the school involved the fourteen-member Bulldog Advisory Committee in the replacement process and selection of the caretaker. The Jack Crew will also be downsized from twenty students to "four or five" with the selection of this new caretaker. Starting in December 2014, Jack began performing at home basketball games by riding a skateboard across the court. For the opening game of the 2015–16 season, the school produced

bobblehead A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to ...

dolls of Jack on a skateboard, wearing jersey number 89 in honor of the year of the school's founding, 1789. As Jack got older, he also would ride around the court in a custom remote controlled truck.

John F. Carroll

On July 24, 2019, the school acquired a new bulldog puppy from the Hochstetler family to work alongside the current Jack before taking on the role in the 2019–20 academic year. The new puppy was born January 24, 2019 in Alberta, Canada and was bred by IROC Bulldogs and Casa Grande Bulldogs. His official name is IROC Casagrande John F. Carroll, and he weighs about . The school considers him to be the eighth bulldog and the seventh named Jack.

References

External links

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