Since 2013, NMSU's athletics

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

has been a caricature of

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

gunfighter and lawman Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton, copied from that of

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

. Pistol Pete is portrayed by a NMSU student dressed in traditional

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

attire, including a

cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern United S ...

, a

vest A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. ...

, and

chaps Chaps ( or ) are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers, they have no seat (the term "assless chaps" is a tautology) and are not jo ...

, and armed with twirling

pistols A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

. NMSU licenses Pistol Pete from Oklahoma State University for $10/year as part of a settlement of a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Controversy

The statue controversy

A proposed new statue of Pistol Pete at the entrance of NMSU was dropped in 2019 amid controversy, as some faculty opposed the statue as inappropriate.

Lasso Larry Debacle

Pistol Pete was disarmed in 2005 as part of a plan to rebrand the university on the national stage. Pete's pistol was replaced with a lasso, and his name was briefly officially abbreviated to simply "Pete." The costumed mascot seen at games also lost his six shooters and holster belt in favor of a lasso. The disarming of Pete led to a massive uproar among alumni and outsiders demanding the return of Pete's guns. Popular T-shirts worn around campus featured the old Pistol Pete logo modified to show an oversized gun in his hand, with the slogan “Who Brings a Lasso to a Gunfight?” The decision was criticized by

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

anchor Bill O'Reilly during his "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" segment.FOXNews.com - The Truth About the Cindy Sheehan Situation - Bill O’Reilly , The O’Reilly Factor
/ref> The most popular nickname given to the widely unpopular new mascot was "Lasso Larry."

Revival of Pistol Pete

Military Appreciation Night at NMSU 150131-F-WB620-002

After one year the university revamped the cartoonish mascot in favor of a real student dressed in more traditional cowboy attire, carrying a holster belt and six shooters, and wearing a black cowboy hat. The "Pistol Pete" name was also restored. In 2007, NMSU modified the logo to remove the lasso and once again depict Pistol Pete carrying pistols, and this is now the official athletics logo.

Suspension

In 2009, the Pistol Pete mascot was suspended for one game by the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

for fighting with Utah State's mascot, Big Blue, during a

2009 WAC men's basketball tournament The 2009 WAC men's basketball tournament, a part of the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, was held March 10–14 at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Regular season champion Utah State Aggies won the tournament, defeatin ...

game.

References

External links

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Pistol Pete at NMStateSports.com
{{New Mexico State Aggies football navbox New Mexico State Aggies College mascots in the United States