Wild About the Cats

Purple background with white text and an illustration of a cat wearing a white t-shirt.

Northwestern University's first mascot was a bear cub named "Furpaw". The cub was driven in a cage to each game, however, during the 1923 season the team lost a majority of the games and it was decided that the mascot was bad luck and should be replaced. Beginning in 1924, the university began to use the "Wildcat" name (coined by a reporter after a particularly fierce game). The official mascot, Willie, didn't come to life until 1933.