Denver Boone

Denver Boone is a former official, and now unofficial mascot of the students and alumni of the University of Denver.

In 1910, DU's sports teams came to be known as the "Pioneers," and the school's first mascot was a bearded cheerleader was a character named "Pioneer Pete. He was essentially a cheerleader with a coonskin cap. His character portrayed a trapper, revived from Colorado's early pioneer days, and his likeness was most closely associated with the DU football program. When the DU football program ceased operations in the early 1960s, Pioneer Pete disappeared as well.

Shortly after the demise of DU's football program came the rise of its hockey program. The school began its search for a mascot. Basketball coach Stan Albeck, was inspired by Walt Disney characters and got in touch with a Disney artist through a DU contact. Disney Studios drew up the designs for DU (the only group licensed to use the Boone character) and give it to the Theatre Department, which developed the first costume.

DU's Special Events Committee held a contest in the fall of 1968 to find a nickname for the new Pioneer Pete. Steve Kiley, then an undergraduate at DU, won the contest with the "Denver Boone" title. Kiley is rumored to have thought of the name "while exercising his elbow and looking at the bottom end of a glass." Despite his name, Denver Boone was not an embodiment or endorsement of any of the postive or negative characteristics of Daniel Boone, one of the most misunderstood characters of the period surrounding the American Revolution.

Doug Hirsh volunteered to help out the effort and soon became the first in a long line of Denver Boones. Many of DU's sports uniforms during the 1970's and very early '80's depicted Boone and countles editions of the Clarion contained his likeness. Boone made appearnaces at May Days, Winter Carnival, and countless other DU activities.

Boone was nearly eliminated during the 1983-84 school year as the student body rejected the "wimpy" Boone and strove for a more masculine prototype. Efforts to replace Boone, which included a contest sponsored by the Clarion, proved unsuccessful as very few alternative mascots were developed. Then in 1985 and '86 (as the hockey team gained notoriety), insecurities turned back into pride. A poll among students showed that the vast majority of students supported Boone.

Boone needed a re-introduction, and Lamda Chi Alpha Chapter's president Pete Castro came to the forefront to become DU's latest Boone. After passing out flyers at hockey games explaining why DU should save Boone, Castro took it upon himself to haul the decrepit Boone head out of storage, give it a fresh paint job and continue a long standing Pioneer mascot tradition.

In 1998, the Department of Athletics and Recreation began an effort to return all of DU's athletic teams to Division-I competition. With that move came an effort to rebrand the institution with a more marketable image. That meant replacing "Denver Boone" with "Ruckus", designed by the same firm as that which developed the logos for the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets. Although the community indulged the institution's efforts, the move was met with a lukewarm response and never gained much traction.

By 2006, a movement to bring back the Walt Disney creation had begun to gain momentum. In 2008, a survey of the DU community showed an overwhelming 87% supported reclaiming Boone.[20] Nonetheless, on October 20, 2008, Chancellor Robert Coombe opposed the will of the overwhelming majority via an email to students, citing that Boone "does not reflect the broad diversity of the DU community"[21]. The issue has been covered by the Denver Post[23], NBC affiliate KUSA [24], and ABC affiliate KMGH[25]. Editorials by Valerie Richardson in the Washington Times[26] and Mike Rosen in the Rocky Mountain News[27] were highly critical of the administration.

By this point, DU had essentially shelved Ruckus, and in November 2008, the University announced its intention to identify a new mascot[28], however Boone's departure and the debate were matters that were far from settled. In his letter to students and alumni concerning Boone, Chancellor Coombe stated that "Boone is a part of our history, one that is treasured by many alumni and friends as a symbol of the University they knew three and four decades ago." He also acknowledged that "we are certainly an institution that honors its past. Hence it seems reasonable that students and alumni be allowed to use the image as a celebration of that past, to the extent that they may choose."

Thus, in early January 2009, a group of alumni floated the idea of resurrecting a "Denver Boone" on their own as an "Unofficial" mascot. Several mascot companies were contacted. Sketches and quotes were secured. Through the LetsGoDU blog, an enormous grassroots effort was born and thousands of dollars worth of support for the initiative ensued. Student and alumni support for the endeavor was enormous.

A win-win-win solution evolved: (1) the administration did not have to backtrack on its position, (2) those who opposed Boone's image on the grounds that he did not promote a diverse student body did not see him as an "official" DU symbol, and (3) the students and alumni who valued Boone saw his return. Independent alumni solicited essay applications for mascot candidates, and after DU student Scott Fuson was selected, he was immediately sent to Raymond Entertainment Group's Mascot Boot Camp, a trip funded entirely by independent DU alumni and at no expense to the institution or the student. The alumni have also stated that the new mascot should be committed to promoting diversity and partnering with a broad array of student groups and the university administration has reciprocated this olive branch by allowing the mascot to make appearances on campus and at events.

The new mascot will be officially unveiled by students and alumni at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC as part of the 2009 Frozen Four festivities.