Handsome Dan: a history of Yale’s most famous dog

Handsome Dan is not just a great dog; He’s a link between the institution of Yale and its students. Every bark is an echo of history; every slobbering lick a taste of Yale tradition. Humble in nature and austere in body, Handsome Dan is the physical representation of Yale. He is America’s oldest mascot, and though there have been many Dans over the years, the bulldog has endeared himself to every Yalie, and indeed to the rest of the nation—bulldogs are America’s most popular college mascots. Additionally, Handsome Dan is one the world’s few living mascots. Even within the category of other bulldog mascots, only a select few can be ranked in the same class as Dan. The history and legacy behind this lovable dog are as rich and fascinating as Yale itself.

In 1889, when a Yale sophomore, Richard B. Graves, YC 1892, came to New Haven, he brought with him an English bulldog that he had purchased from a blacksmith for five dollars. This dog, nicknamed Handsome Dan, immediately won the hearts of the students on campus, and they made Dan the Yale mascot. As such, he witnessed every football game and crew race until 1897. He was also one of the finest of his breed, winning over 100 prizes in shows all over the country. According to the Yale Alumni Weekly, Graves and Handsome Dan set out for a trip around the world, but when they reached the British shores the dog was stricken.

His remains were returned to America, while the national press lamented his passing. The Hartford Courant eulogized, “In personal appearance he seemed like a cross between an alligator and a horned frog. He was always taken to games on a leash, and the Harvard football team for years owed its continued existence to the fact that the rope held.” The Philadelphia Press went on to say, “Dan was peculiar to himself in one thing—he would never associate with anyone but students. Dan implemented himself in the hearts of Yalies.” Stuffed, Dan long stood in the Old Gymnasium. When it was torn down in order to construct Trumbull College, he was sent to the Peabody Museum for reconstruction. He is now on exhibit in the Membership & Services office of Payne Whitney Gymnasium.

There was no successor until 1933, when Dan II, then called Bad Dan, was purchased with the pennies of freshmen, who had placed a collection box in Commons that was filled with coins at every meal for three days. He only appeared at the Harvard game of that year, and its result (Harvard won by 13) helped to give him the reputation of a jinx. A notable feature of his tenure was when he was captured by the Harvard Lampoon in 1934 and photographed licking the boots of the John Harvard statue, which were smeared with hamburger meat. He died in 1937 when he broke his leg and his blood vessels subsequently burst.

Many of the following Dans did not respond well to crowds and had short reigns. Handsome Dan IX is remembered for nearly drowning after falling off of the Yale Boathouse dock. His rescuers reportedly found him head first in the muddy riverbed. Bingo, Handsome Dan XIII, was the only female Dan and is remembered for being stolen by a group of four Princetonians dressed as Yale cheerleaders. Handsome Dan XV, Louis, served for more than nine years, and was a beautiful dog that loved crowds. He appeared on many Yale Christmas cards and had a distinctive “Y” pattern in his fur.

Second to the original, the most noteworthy Dan was Maurice, who served longer than any other dog. After a nine-year term, Maurice was chosen for another term when his successor unexpectedly died of a heart attack. Maurice was a dog that hated Harvard and Princeton with the same fervor with which he loved Yale. In 1984, Maurice did

not take kindly to a taunting Harvard student dressed in a bulldog costume and he slipped his leash, knocked the student over with a head butt to the chest, and sat on the downed Crimson. Another time, Maurice chased a Princeton cheerleader dressed as a tiger into the end zone.

Maurice was infinitely patient with admirers who wanted to pose for pictures or scratch him. Before The Game, an auction took place in which the winner would get the opportunity to walk Handsome Dan, and the bids usually reached 2,000 dollars. Maurice was taken to the games in a 1942 Packard Woodie, and he was always willing to dress up—whether it be wearing a Santa hat for a Christmas picture or a swimming cap at a swimming meet. He would bark during the “Bow wow wow,” portion of the fight song and he was famous for a trick where, asked if he would rather go to Harvard or die, he would promptly fall to the ground.

Magnificent Mugsy Rangoon was Handsome Dan XVI. He was chosen by unconventional means. In 2005, the Athletics Department, in a five person panel, chose Mugsy from a plethora of competition when he was given the choice between a plush tiger and a crimson blanket and he recognized and focused on the ultimate enemy: the crimson blanket. One of the judges on the panel said, “Mugsy knew that Harvard sucks but Princeton doesn’t matter.” He was large (65 pounds), amiable, and not bothered by the dizzying crowds or the raucous YPMB. In 2005, he was stolen during the Yale-Harvard game by two Harvard undergraduates. Lured by a chew toy in the shape of a Harvard football player, Mugsy couldn’t resist the urge to destroy all things Harvard and was led into the Harvard student section. Due to his strong will and persistence, he returned to safety shortly thereafter. Mugsy served for only two years because the owner, who was not directly affiliated with Yale, did not understand the commitment of owning a mascot.

The current Handsome Dan, Sherman, took office at a very young age, in the winter of 2006. These days, Sherman is getting older but also increasingly enthusiastic about his position. He is not as smart as Maurice, and it takes him a few tries to bark, but nobody holds that against him. What Sherman lacks in intelligence he makes up for in Yale spirit. Whether it is raising money for charity, entertaining Yale Bowl crowds, or head-butting Cantabs in the chest, Handsome Dan has always been a prominent symbol of Yale. He is first in the history books and first in the hearts of Yalies. The legacy of Dan has been passed from dog to dog just as Yale’s traditions have been handed down by the generations. More playful than the Pilgrim and more relevant than the Tiger, Handsome Dan is at once universally accessible and highly respected. Dan is the mascot against which all other mascots are judged, and what does this humble creature ask in return? A college to call his home and a scratch behind the ears.

<—Previous                                                                                              Next—>