Live Mascot History

Before 1926, the University of Indianapolis was called Indiana Central College, and the mascot was the “Warrior.” By 1927, interest in a new mascot had escalated, and a group of fans convened in Men's Hall after a basketball game to "choose a name that would do justice to the scrapping Crimson and Grey Warriors," according to Downright Devotion to the Cause by Fredrick Hill.

They agreed on the Greyhound, citing the animal’s “speed, jumping prowess and fighting heart."

Though Indiana Central's athletes had come to be called Greyhounds in the 1920s, nearly four decades passed before a serious effort was made to acquire a resident mascot.

Dixie

In 1965, the college received a gift from Edgar Bright ’26, former coach and athletic director at Indiana Central. One of his Greyhound racers had suffered a broken leg in a pile-up at a curve in the track and would not be able to race again. The campus community happily welcomed three-year-old Dixie as the first live mascot, and she was introduced to the student body following Christmas break in January 1966. 

“Dixie loves to be petted, or in other words spoiled. Although she gets nervous around crowds, she doesn’t at Wilmore Hall. It is there that she sleeps in a different room every night; she eats; and she is walked twice daily by Wilmorians. [Indiana] Central is proud of Dixie. Those who don’t know her - especially the Freshmen - should take a few moments to introduce yourselves to her.” – Excerpt from The Reflector, 1967

Dixie was on campus for about two years before returning to her home state of Florida in December 1967.

Timothy O'Toole

In October 1978, Indiana Central University announced the arrival of a second live mascot. Timothy O’Toole, a five-year-old retired racing Greyhound, moved from Florida to Indianapolis thanks to the generosity of Edgar Bright ’26. Described as a “large dark blue-grey male,” he lived with Dr. Ken Borden’s family, proudly representing the university until 1981.

"Timothy O’Toole is not an ordinary greyhound, but a real live mascot for Indiana Central...Timothy has brought a lot of enthusiasm to the campus. Not only is he a fellow greyhound to all of the central students, but he has the distinction of being a member of the Fellow’s Club." – Excerpt from the Oracle yearbook, 1979

Grady

In November 2019, Crimson Greyson Veritas, aka “Grady,” a two-and-a-half-year-old retired racer from Daytona, Florida became the third live mascot in the school’s history.

Grady was also the name of a UIndy costume mascot in the 90s, modeled here by Amanda East '99 (elementary education) who proudly suited up as Grady during her four years on campus.

Commemorative Art

A collaboration between the Live Mascot Program Planning Committee and UIndy's Hullabaloo Press of the Department of Art and Design, these limited edition buttons were handcrafted to coincide with the return of the University of Indianapolis Live Mascot Program.

The red and silver layers that create the makeready* background are cut from a letterpress print of hand-composed historic wood type spelling out UIndy, Grady, and 2019.

*Makeready is a term used in letterpress printing describing the improvisation/product of overprints creating abstracted layers of texture, pattern, and color. Makeready prints are typically used in the making of other items such as book covers and buttons.

Special thanks to the printers and buttonmakers:

• Assistant Professor Katherine Fries '07 & '11
• Kalia Daily '18, '21
• Rachel West '20
• Danisha McNary '20

Each background was cut from the whole; each button is a little different from the next.

Let this be a reminder that although we are different, we are all Greyhounds and come from this place. Just as each button is a piece of something bigger, we too, are part of something greater.