You’re Nuts: Who is the creepiest mascot in college sports?

Welcome back to another week of “You’re Nuts” with the Bucketheads. With the Ohio State men’s basketball roster officially set and not much basketball-related stuff going on, we are going to take a different route with this one. We are picking the creepiest/strangest/weirdest mascot in college sports.

Before that, let’s talk about last week. With the roster getting locked in last week, we debated who will be Ohio State’s “X-factor” this season. Connor picked big man Zed Key, while Justin picked Isaac Likekele — the transfer from Oklahoma State.

Neither person won, as most fans think someone else is the big X-factor — probably Justice Sueing or Tanner Holden. Regardless, with neither of the guys winning the vote, the standings remain the same.

After 49 weeks:

Connor- 21
Justin- 19
Other- 7

(There have been two ties)

This week we’re talking about the creepiest mascots. There are a lot of options for this one unfortunately, as some schools have chosen their mascot quite poorly. Let’s dive in.

Today’s question: Who is the creepiest mascot in college sports?

Connor: Friar Dom

Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Friar Dom, the mascot of the Providence Friars since 2002, is chillingly terrifying. First of all, where are his teeth? Secondly, the creepiness is amplified by his silence, because even if he could talk, we know he probably wouldn’t. Instead he would just smile and watch from afar, plotting his next murder. God, this guy gives me the creeps.

Legend has it that when Providence College was testing out their new mascot over two decades ago, a staff member wore the Friar head as a Halloween costume to hand out candy. Children approached his home for candy and left emitting blood-curdling screams. Students who have held the role of Friar Dom have admitted on more than one occasion that it can be difficult to take pictures with children — despite what their parents want — because too many of them cry when Friar Dom approaches.

Friar Dom has no teeth, eyebrows, or agenda other than scaring the piss out of people. Is that black line on his forehead his hair poking through, or is it the shadow realm that holds the only true evidence of his many crimes? Catholicism jokes aside, this priest appears to have some horrible, no good, very bad intentions.

I mean, look at this sicko gazing down the court at her as she flips away. I hope this cheerleader made it out of the building okay, because Friar Dom clearly was formulating a plan in this very moment — and it could not have been good. Luckily he can’t run — chase — quickly with those long robes, but Friar Dom is inevitable. Friar Dom will pursue until the pursuit is complete.

Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Here’s an excerpt from a 2018 SB Nation piece about the terrors of PC’s not so-PC mascot, during the 2018 NCAA Tournament:

“Providence College awakens him from his hibernation each fall, only to watch the city’s homeless population mysteriously decline each winter. He lives at the bottom of a pit scientists say has no bottom. Every three days, a rotating crew of cheerleaders throws a bucket of goat’s blood and baby teeth down it so he can feed.”

Now I’m off to pour myself a warm glass of milk before bed, and I will be leaving the lights on tonight.

Justin: Purdue Pete

Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Please stop pointing you weirdo.

I am trying to make my comeback real and I feel like I have a good chance. Time to start closing in and putting the heat on Connor. I may not have won this week but I also did not lose, so there is that. Perspective. Shoutout to Max Homa (if you understood that reference I appreciate you).

During this “You’re Nuts” series, most of the questions we answer are all about opinion and there really is no right answer. However, that does not apply to this one. There is a right answer to this question and it is Purdue Pete.

Purdue Pete is pretty horrific. That is the only way to word it. Last year, it even won awards for how creepy and crazy he is. The Quality Products Logo Blog conducted a survey on the creepiest mascot of all college football Division I teams, and the Boilermakers’ mascot emerged ‘victorious’. There were 128 mascots in the survey. I am truly right about this.

Purdue Pete also won second worst overall mascot and honorable mention in the “unsexiest” mascot (do with that what you will). The accolades just came pouring in for Purdue Pete — and not in a good way.

Honest to god, when I typed in Purdue Pete to google, the second option was “Purdue Pete creepy”. It is literally what the mascot is known for. And this isn’t just Big Ten hate. This is real.

I actually think the Big Ten has some of the best mascots. Sparty over at Michigan State is pretty cool, I like the Maryland Terrapin as a Maryland born person myself, Badgers are cool and of course, Brutus is awesome. But Purdue Pete might actually outweigh all of the good ones.

This explanation is short because it can be. I don't need to explain this one, just look at him.