The Famed Banana Slug of the University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever visited. Tucked into the redwood forests, UC Santa Cruz's 2,000-acre campus boasts stunning views overlooking Monterey Bay. Home to over 500 plant species, the UCSC campus offers an exceptional level of horticultural diversity. In fact, almost a quarter of the produce served on campus is either locally grown and/or certified organic. Picture-postcard views from every angle; the campus is a tranquil haven.

In this gentle enclave, best known as a peace-loving, granola-eating, yoga-practicing type of environment, the University of California, Santa Cruz's athletic department has not garnered much attention. Aside from that trusty Banana Slug mascot. Yes, the University of California, Santa Cruz has one of the most talked about mascots in college sports - the lowly, yellow Banana Slug.

The slow and modest Banana Slug makes the redwood forests of USCS their home. Due to the slug's prevalence on campus, the slimy mollusk has been the team's unofficial mascot since the university's beginnings. The humble slug was a perfect choice as a USCS team mascot, appropriate for students who did not support the ferocious athletic competition found at many universities. See, the athletic program at USCS is designed to appeal to everyone, with the goal of teaching the benefits of lifetime of physical activity to all students. The University of California, Santa Cruz strongly promotes the joy of sports participation over the importance of winning. With this approach to team sports, somehow a Fanged Mountain Lion or Blood-Sucking Wildcat mascot just wouldn't seem right.

Certainly one of the most unusual mascots in college sports, UCSC's beloved Banana Slug mascot was, at one time, almost squashed. When UC Santa Cruz first joined the NCAA a faction of student athletes and professors lead a campaign to break away from the popular mind-set and select a more intimidating team representative. Searching for a mascot with a powerful reputation, they strived to change from a Banana Slug to a Sea Lion. But in true democratic fashion, a vote was taken and the beloved Banana Slug was saved by a 15-to-1 margin.

So UCSC's famous team mascot remains the humble Banana Slug. In an effort to increase the intimidation-factor of the slug, UC Santa Cruz athletic teams are often seen wearing T-shirts with slogans such as "Banana Slugs - No Known Predators." Yikes, scary.

Funny Mascot Notable Mentions
Texas Christian Horn Frogs
Xavier University Blue Blob
Dartmouth University Keggy
North Texas Mean Green

Sources:
University of California, Santa Cruz
My husband