Make way for the mascot!
July 17, 2019
Lamar State College Orange is proud to announce the school's official mascot will be the gator.
LSCO has not had its own mascot since becoming its own degree-granting institution in 1991.
Prior to that, Lamar State College Orange was part of Lamar University and was represented by the LU cardinal.
In 1999 there was an effort by the LSCO Student Government Association to make the school's mascot a bull red fish, but it never came to fruition.
The gator was selected after several rounds of voting.
Submissions were initially accepted from students, faculty, and staff. Those submissions were narrowed down by a committee and the top four - gators, mallards, otters, and hurricanes - were put to a vote among the LSCO students, faculty, and staff. The top two from that vote - gators and mallards - were then offered as the final candidates.
Leslie Barber, an Accounts Payable Clerk in the LSCO Business Office, submitted the gator and will be awarded a $100 gift card for winning the mascot contest.
In her submission, Leslie wrote this about the gator:
"He’s a very tough, fearsome, and prehistoric creature that has withstood the test of time. We have just reached a milestone of 50 years and striving to reach another 50+ years. He’s a survivor of all that this world has thrown at him; through trials, tribulations, and storms he prevails! He represents the strength of our community and of our campus!"
Now that the official mascot has been selected, LSCO will work to create the gator image that will become the face of the college. Once that image is finalized, the gator will be named through a voting process.