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UCM's Mascot
The mule's affiliation with the University of Central Missouri goes back to the early 1920s. When the 1921-22 school year began, school officials decided "Normals" and "Teachers" were no longer appropriate nicknames for Central Missouri State's athletic teams. Therefore, the school's athletic committee established a contest that promised the winner a three-year postgraduate subscription of the school newspaper. More than 80 suggestions were received, but the winning entry was submitted by John Thomason of Chilhowee, Mo., Class of 1924, who felt that at least one Missouri team should be known as "Mules".
The "Jennies" nickname for Central Missouri's women's athletic teams was officially adopted in February, 1974 after the school's student newspaper, The Muleskinner, offered a prize of $50 in a contest to choose a nickname for the women's athletic teams. Cynthia Almaguer of Knob Noster, Mo., Class of 1974, was chosen winner from 34 entries.
Almaguer told the contest judges, "The reason I picked the name is because of the obvious feminine kinship of the jenny to our mule mascot. It is a fact that a mule is a descendant of a female donkey -- the jenny."
Abbedale, the university's current mascot, was donated to Central Missouri by the late Sam Smiser, a 1938 Central graduate. Smiser owned the Smiser Mule Ranch in Newhall, Calif., and was known throughout the country for his expertise as a mule producer and promoter.
Not only is the mule UCM's mascot for it's men's athletic teams, it also is the official animal for the State of Missouri. The state legislature passed and Governor Mel Carnahan signed into law in 1995 a bill making the mule Missouri's official state animal.
