Auburn football: Cam Coleman, other receivers run routes at practice
Auburn football WRs, including Cam Coleman and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, go through practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center on Aug. 6, 2024.
Auburn football’s next opponent has one of the most unique nicknames in college football, even if its mascot is common in the sport.
The Tigers take on the New Mexico Lobos in a Week 3 matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday. Auburn is coming off a close loss to ACC foe Cal at home in Week 2 and will look to climb above the .500 mark. New Mexico enters the game 0-2 after losing 61-39 to No. 21 Arizona last week.
Saturday will make the first-ever matchup between the Tigers and Lobos. Here’s what you need to know about the mascot for the University of New Mexico, its nickname, history and more:
REQUIRED READING: Will Auburn football stick with Payton Thorne as QB after 4-interception loss to Cal?
What is a Lobo?
Lobo is the Spanish word for wolf. It’s a term for the Mexican wolf, which was once prominent throughout parts of the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serice, by the 1970s, due to conflicts with livestock, the lobo was all but eliminated from the wild and listed as an endangered species in 1976. A “bi-national captive breeding program” was implemented to save the species from extinction.
Finally, in 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the first captive Mexican wolves into the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area in Arizona and New Mexico.
Why is New Mexico named the Lobos?
According to the school website, when New Mexico started playing football in 1982, the team was called “The University Boys” or “Varsities ” to distinguish themselves from prep school players. In 1917, the student body started seeking a new mascot and name for the student newspaper, the U.N.M. Weekly.
Some of the suggested names included “The Rattler,” “Sand Devil,” “Ki-yo-te,” (coyote) and “Cherry and Silver.” However, none of the names stuck heading into the 1920 school year.
However, sophomore George S. Bryan, the student newspaper editor and the football team’s student manager, suggested the mascot of a “Lobo,” the Spanish word for wolf, at a student council meeting on Sept. 22, 1920. The nickname, unlike previous ones, was received with enthusiasm.
The University of New Mexico’s new nickname was announced in the student newspaper’s Oct. 1, 1920 edition, which bore the new name “The Weekly Lobo.”
“The Lobo is respected for his cunning, feared for his prowess, and is the leader of the pack. It is the ideal name for the Varsity boys who go forth to battle for the glory of the school. All together now; fifteen rahs for the LOBOS,” the newspaper said, announcing the name.
Does New Mexico have a live Lobo mascot?
Bruno Dieckmann, who was part of the 1902 class, acquired and donated a live Lobo as the university’s mascot in 1920. According to the school website, the cub was the responsibility of the cheerleaders to take care of and look after. However, in the late 1920s, a child was bitten after teasing the wolf. As a result, UNM officials were forced to “dispose” of the Lobo “for fear other ill-bred brats might become tempted to play with the wolf and bring a damage suit.”
Until the mid-2010s, the university had not used a live wolf because of that incident when Zoerro became the official wolf ambassador from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary located just south of Gallup, New Mexico.
“The mission of the sanctuary is to rescue displaced, unwanted and un-releasable captive-bred wolves, wolf dogs and other related species. Animals are provided permanent, lifetime safe sanctuary and the highest level of care, enrichment and habitat.
“The sanctuary also educates the public about wolves, wolf dogs and other related species, our ecosystem, how we all play a part in it, and the excellent ethical care of treatment of all animals, domestic and wild.”
According to the Daily Lobo, the original Lobo Louie live mascot is preserved in the mammals department of the UNM Museum of Southwestern Biology. It is available for the public to view by appointment.
What is the New Mexico football mascot?
New Mexico has two live mascots: “Lobo Louie” and “Lobo Lucy.” Louie was the first human mascot, unveiled in the early 1960s and Lucy was created in the early 1980s. Both are now members of the university’s cheerleading squad.
Lobo Louie’s X account (formerly Twitter) says that Lobo Lucy is his sister.
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 00:00:00
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