The University of Southern California has the Trojan, the University of California San Diego has King Triton and here at San Diego State, students have the Aztec Warrior. Aside from fans, mascots are a vital component of support for any sports team.
The Aztec Warrior has been SDSU’s symbol of athletic greatness for the last decade.
[quote]“The Aztec Warrior made his first public appearance Monday, Feb. 23, 2004 at the SDSU men’s basketball game against Colorado State at Cox Arena,” according to the GoAztecs website, he was a man of considerable strength who dressed in the ancient Aztec garb of a headpiece and spear.[/quote]
In February, the warrior will mark its 10th year as SDSU athletics’ aficionado. Few people actually know how the warrior became the SDSU mascot. Previous SDSU President Stephen Weber said it was the right choice to represent the school.
“This also marks the conclusion of a long, thoughtful, democratic process that has produced a historically accurate and appropriate mascot that enjoys strong support by students, alumni and athletic boosters,” Weber said following the decision.
The process in finding and creating a school mascot isn’t as quick and easy as it may seem. To develop an image and a brand that represents exactly what the school is looking for takes time. What is unique about SDSU’s mascot is that a majority approved it during a voting process.
“Nearly 10,000 students voted, setting a new SDSU record for a student referendum and endorsing the proposed mascot by more than a 3-to-1 ratio. More than 4,700 Alumni Association and Aztec Athletic Foundation members voted in their referendum, with more than 88 percent of voters backing the mascot,” according to the GoAztecs web page.
With such immense support, students continue to view the Aztec Warrior in a positive light.
SDSU journalism senior Shelby Dorrance believes the warrior is a great choice to represent the student body and everything SDSU stands for.
[quote]“The mascot here at SDSU is very fitting to the region’s history. I personally like him and what he stands for,” Dorrance said.[/quote]
Another interesting fact the SDSU community may not be aware of is that the school also had a mascot sidekick for almost two years: a cuddly jaguar cat named Zuma.
According to the U-T San Diego, SDSU did away with the second mascot figure last March because of the constant confusion of having two mascots.
“It split the fans apart and wasted a lot of money, time and energy,” SDSU alumnus Bruce Johnson said. “It was divisive, confusing and bad for branding of San Diego State.”
Choosing an actual student to fulfill the duties and carry out the mascot pride is yet another trying task, which must be done. Since the warrior was decided upon as the chosen mascot to represent SDSU, it has been a male-dominated character.
Last year, then-sophomore Diamonte Harper tried out for the mascot position, claiming it was something she felt women could do just as well as men.
“I thought that it would be really cool for young girls growing up in San Diego who look forward to the basketball games to see a woman leading the crowd because women can do that too. I just felt it would have been nice to see a coed leadership,” Harper said.
Traditionally, each year SDSU holds auditions to choose a student to continue the warrior legacy. But according to SDSU Director of Corporate and Community Relations Christian Deleon, this year’s auditions are still not quite set in stone.
[quote]“We do not have any audition details at this point in time. If we do have auditions this year, we will open them to all SDSU students, and those who audition are judged on their spirit and physique,” Deleon said.[/quote]
No matter what direction the Aztec Warrior takes, one thing is certain: he or she will remain a constant symbol of strength here at SDSU for many years to come.
Photo by Monica Linzmeier, Photo Editor
