Bill the Goat

For the Royal Welch fusiliers regimental goat, see William Windsor (goat).

Bill the Goat
University	United States Naval Academy
Conference	Independent
Description	Goat
First seen	1893

Bill the Goat is the mascot of the United States Naval Academy. The mascot is a live goat and is also represented by a costumed midshipman. There is also a bronze statue of the goat just inside Gate 1, the main gate to the Academy grounds. This statue also plays a role in "Army Week" traditions.

The Navy Monkey (which was really a gorilla) was the first mascot, which was George Bancroft's favorite animal, and stayed the primary mascot - along with a cat - from 1847 to 1851. The first Bill the Goat appeared in 1893. Currently, Bill XXXIII reigns as the 36th mascot and is the 33rd goat to be named Bill. His backup is Bill XXXIV.

The legend of Bill the Goat

Goats at sea

"Bill the goat", mascot of BB-17 USS Rhode Island, circa 1913

For centuries, ships sailed with livestock in order to provide sailors with fresh food, and ships in the British and early American navies often carried goats, to eat the garbage and other undesirable food, and return milk and butter. The first usage of "billy goat" for a male goat occurs in the nineteenth century replacing the older term "he-goat."

Goats at USNA

There is a legend that a Navy ship sailed with a pet goat. The goat died during the cruise. The officers preserved the skin, to have it mounted when they returned to port. Two young ensigns were entrusted with the skin. On the way to the taxidermist, they stopped by the United States Naval Academy to watch a football game. At half time, one ensign decided to dress up in the goat skin. The crowd appreciated the effort. Navy won the game.

The early years

In 1893, however, a live goat named El Cid made his debut as a mascot at the fourth Army–Navy Game. El Cid was a gift to the Brigade of Midshipmen from officers of the USS New York. The goat helped Navy win 6-3 over Army that year, so he was adopted as part of the team.

There were other mascots in those years, including a gorilla - the very first mascot, two cats, a bulldog, and a carrier pigeon. However, the goat has served without interruption since 1904.

In the early 1900s, the beloved mascot was finally given a name. On the return trip to the Naval Academy after Annapolis' triumph over West Point, the goat was led on a victory lap through the train and did not leave the midshipmen until they reached Baltimore.

It was then that the goat was given the name "Bill", which was the name of a pet goat kept by Commander Colby M. Chester, Commandant of Midshipmen, from 1891-1894. [1]

Many goats, one mission

• In 1968 Bill XVI, a gift from the United States Air Force Academy, died of accidental poisoning after weed killer was sprayed too closely to his pen.
• Bill XVII, met the same fate in 1971.
• Bill XIX and Bill XX died of natural causes after each served three years of faithful service, in 1975 and 1978 respectively.
• In 1978, Bill XXI led the midshipmen to a victorious season, including a 23-16 victory over Brigham Young University. He is also credited with two Navy wins over Army.
• Bill XXVIII reigned from October 1995 until his death in November 2001, when he was succeeded by Bill XXXI.
• Bill XXXI died of natural causes in April 2007 and has been succeeded by Bill XXXII. In April 2007 the Academy selected Lavender Hill Farm to provide Bill XXXIII and Bill XXXIV, who were delivered to the Naval Academy on May 5, 2007.
• Bill XXXII was retired in September 2008 due to his advanced age and will spend his remaining years at a farm near the Academy. Bill XXXIII has stepped up as the official mascot of the Navy Academy with Bill XXXIV has his backup. Bill XXXIII's first official game was on September 20, 2008 when the Midshipman beat Rutgers 23-21.

The kidnapping of Bill

The first recorded kidnapping of Bill in modern times was accomplished only a week before the Army-Navy football game in the fall of 1953. A group of cadets from West Point snuck onto the Annapolis grounds with the help of a West Point exchange student who was living at the Naval Academy. After locating the goat behind the stadium, the cadets stashed it in the backseat of a convertible; however, their cover was blown when they stopped at a gas station and the goat's horns shredded the convertible top. The cadets successfully made it back to West Point and presented the goat to the entire Corps at a raucous dinnertime pep rally; however, many Navy midshipmen refused to go to classes until Bill was returned. After the goat's return was ordered by officials from West Point (as well as President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself), the Army cadets staged a mass protest which was posted on the front page of several New York papers as "Goat Rebellion at West Point." The Army football team went on to defeat Navy 20-7.

The Air Force joined in soon after, via a raid by three Air Force Academy (AFA) cadets a month prior to the first Air Force/Navy football game in 1960. Bill was flown to the AFA in the bomb bay of an Air Force B-26, where he resided on a farm until Naval intelligence tracked him to Colorado. The superintendent of the AFA learned of the mission through intimidation of the Cadet Wing, and forced the return of Bill to Annapolis. The event was reported by several national media outlets, including Life, at the time.

During the height of a heated in-state rivalry with Maryland, the goat was stolen by Maryland students. This happened shortly before the controversial 1964 match, where actions on the field caused the suspension of the series for 40 years. (Source: Mark Selig, "Old rivalry revisited", The Diamondback, 31 August 2005.)

On November 5, 1995, a month before the Army-Navy football game, a group of seniors from West Point staged a pre-dawn raid on the Naval Academy dairy farm in Gambrills, Maryland and kidnapped Bill the Goat XXVI, XXVIII and XXIX. The Pentagon was notified, and the three goats were returned under a policy forged by flag officers of the Army and Navy that stipulates that the "kidnapping of cadets, midshipmen or mascots will not be tolerated".

File:2004bill.jpg

Bill at the 2004 Army–Navy Game.

However, the truce was broken in 2002, when Army cadets kidnapped the Navy mascot, wearing Grateful Dead T-shirts as a disguise. (Source: "Goat Gone. Will Navy Send SEALs?", New York Times, 5 December, 2002)

On November 17, 2007 cadets from West Point raided the Naval Academy dairy farm in Gambrills, Maryland and kidnapped Bill XXXII, Bill XXXIII and Bill XXXIV prior to the upcoming Army–Navy Game. The operation was named 'Operation Good Shepherd' according to a Naval Academy spokesman. What made this goat napping interesting was the goatnappers created a mini-documentary showing the planning and actually goatnapping, and then posted it on YouTube. (Source: "Navy mascot survives alleged ‘goat-napping’", Examiner, 29 Nov 2007)

Costumed Mascot

Bill the Goat, the human version, at the 2008 Army–Navy Game.

In addition to the live Bill goats, a costumed mascot also attends the United States Naval Academy football games. The live Bill goats rarely travel far from the United States Naval Academy, so the costumed mascot makes these trips solo.

In the 2007 Army Navy Game, an army cadet tackled the costumed mascot and then ran back into the stands.

Team Bill

Bill XXXII, XXXIII, and XXXIV with Team Bill on May 2007.

Team Bill is a group of midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy who volunteer to take care of the Bill goats and to transport them to and from events. Currently there are three Bill goats being cared for by the midshipmen at a dairy farm in Gambrills, Maryland. The picture to the right shows Team Bill on May 5, 2007 accepting the delivery of Bill XXXIII and Bill XXXIV from Stacy Bonus who donated them to the Academy.

See also

• Mascots
  • List of U.S. college mascots
• United States Naval Academy
• Army–Navy Game

External links

• US Naval Academy FAQ on Bill the Goat