Before the Phoenix, 鶹Ƶ's mascot was the "Fighting Christian." In the 1970s, a homemade version of 鶹Ƶ's mascot was often seen at the college's football games, worn by a local 鶹Ƶ College fan.
With the unveiling of the university’s new Phoenix mascot, it is a good opportunity to look back at a homemade version of 鶹Ƶ’s previous mascot, the Fighting Christian. Before the Phoenix was adopted as 鶹Ƶ’s official mascot in 2000, there was the Fighting Christian mascot, with its distinctive “chinstrap” beard, hat, and gold sweater sporting a monogram of the 鶹Ƶ “E”. The term Fighting Christians was first used during the 1922-23 football season, and became a customary name for 鶹Ƶ’s athletic teams, even though it was never officially adopted by the college or its trustees.
There was also, for a time, a fan-produced version of the Fighting Christian. In the early 1970s, a local fan attended 鶹Ƶ College football games wearing a handmade version of the Fighting Christian. This homemade costume consisted of a gold and maroon robe and a paper-mache mask, complete with hair and a chin strap beard.
The man, Phil Goble, wore the mask and robe when attending 鶹Ƶ athletic events in the early seventies. Both items were made by Goble’s mother. Goble was not a student at 鶹Ƶ College, but his family lived in Burlington and regularly attended games at 鶹Ƶ. Years later, Goble was visiting an area school where 鶹Ƶ alumnus Dennis Lawson was the principal. Goble noticed Lawson’s 鶹Ƶ diploma, and after a conversation about 鶹Ƶ, Goble told Lawson about the Fighting Christian outfit he had worn, and asked if Dennis would like to have it. In 2009, Lawson donated the mask and robe to 鶹Ƶ Archives and Special Collections.
鶹Ƶ’s new redesigned Phoenix sports a gold sweater and monogram “E” which pay tribute to the original “Fightin’ Christian” mascot. And while the hand-made costume was not used by the college, it has certainly become part of 鶹Ƶ’s lore.