Since Austin College has the only Kangaroo mascot, I guess I need to tell how this came about. From the book, "100 Years, 100 Yards - The Story of Austin College Football" by Willie Jacobs;
"Somewhere between the 1914 and 1915 seasons, Austin College dubbed their athletic teams the "Kangaroos", and the name stuck through the years. Although unconfirmed, the story is that the Austin College students, still all male at the time, were known throughout the state for its kangaroo court, a student organization which often wielded a wooden paddle to culprits guilty of campus violations."
There is another story of a newspaper writer who described the Austin College team in his game write-up as being harder to tackle than a bunch of Kangaroos. This occurred later and probably helped fuel the use of the name.
The first live Kangaroo mascot was presented to Austin College in 1922 and was nicknamed "Pat" for Pat Hooks, a fervent sponsor and gentleman who personally financed much of the AC athletic programs for 25 years. When the mascot Pat died several years later, a full funeral service was conducted by the students and Pat was laid to rest in a grave under what is now the Baker Hall dormitory parking lot.
There were other live mascots in later years but the mascot became known as Katy the Kangaroo in later years.
This is my story and I'm sticking to it!!
