Behold... The Chanticleer!
- Thread starter Scarlet_Scourge
- Start date
Thank god they changed it to the Scarlet Knights! That is awful. And a really bad name for my dog!
Leo Chenko, animal costume designer for the Ice Capades and movies, created the rooster in his New York studios for $250. It was seven feet tall, with a copper mesh frame decorated with various shades of red felt and feathers along with moving eyes and wings. Costume wearer Dick Marcus reported it weighed 50 pounds and was hot inside. Other “rooster boosters” from 1951-54 were Dick Reynolds, Gus Lachnauer and Howie Goldberg.
That citation costs $20 payable to the Municipal Court (ba-dump-dump)
The Chanticleer mascot re-emerged after World War II when Dick Marcus suited up and appeared with a band drum roll at the away NYU game according to the October 13, 1951 Targum.
According to the next day’s November 4, 1934 Sunday Times of New Brunswick after Rutgers shut out Boston U. 52-0, “Coach (Pat) Hanley’s players looked as helpless as ‘Chanticleer,’ pet rooster of the Rutgers forces, who spent an undisturbed afternoon with its left leg tied to a stake.”
Although the mascot was the Chanticleer, I don't think it was ever used as a team nickname. That is, no one referred to the team as the Rutgers Chanticleers, the way the team is now called the Scarlet Knights. Prior to Scarlet Knights, team nicknames were the Scarlet or the Queensmen.
I guess this is comparable to how a Bulldog is the mascot for Georgetown, but the team is called the Hoyas.
I guess this is comparable to how a Bulldog is the mascot for Georgetown, but the team is called the Hoyas.
I'd take Rutgers Scarlet with the chicken as the mascot...like that better than a Scarlet Knight...
Yes. It was. It wasn't incredibly popular but it was the Rutgers nickname from around 1925-1955.
The WIP (610 AM), Philadelphia announcer inquired why there was a rooster at the Rutgers-Penn game at Franklin Field on October 20, 1934. That Monday’s Targum said, “‘Colonel Henry,’ it was explained, was the mascot and ‘… a frisky old rooster of New Brunswick lineage who will, unless objections are raised, represent the Scarlet.’” The Colonel was a gift from Kappa and lived at the College Farm. This contest was his inaugural appearance at several games during the 1934 season when the Targum used the “Chanticleer” nickname more often.
I guess I should have done a bit more research before posting that Chanticleer wasn't used as a nickname. I couldn't find any instance where the NY Times used Chanticleer as a nickname, although I found a whole slew of instances where they referred to the teams as the Scarlet or Queensmen (such as this 1942 article on a wrestling victory in which Rutgers is referred to both as Scarlet and Queensmen: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C07E5D9173CE33BBC4D52DFB4668389659EDE).
However, in the March 30, 1955, article about Rutgers looking for a new mascot, the NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940DEEDA153EE53ABC4850DFB566838E649EDE) notes "Rutgers teams now are rarely referred to as the Chanticleers. Usually the nick-name of Scarlet or Queensmen is used." That certainly implies that at one time Chanticleer was used as a nickname, but was certainly out of fashion by the time the mascot was changed in 1955.
Since its days when the school was officially known as Queen's College, the athletic teams were referred to as the Queensmen. Officially serving as the mascot figure for several football seasons beginning in 1925 was a giant, colorfully felt-covered, costumed representation of an earlier campus symbol, the "Chanticleer." Though a fighting bird of the kind which other colleges have found success, to some it bore the connotation of "chicken." It is also a little-known fact that the New Brunswick-based broadcast station, WCTC, which serves as the flagship station of Rutgers athletics, had its call letters derived from the word "ChanTiCleer." Chanticleer remained as the nickname for some 30 years.
http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/2017/6/11/trads.aspx
http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/2017/6/11/trads.aspx
Interesting :Rutgers Trea$ure Hunter: It's a bird, it's a....no, it really is a bird - On the Banks
Look at that thing on the cover. No, not the lion, the one at the bottom. Rutgers was not always known as the Scarlet Knights.
https://www.onthebanks.com/2014/11/25/7251063/rutgers-trea-ure-hunter-the-scarlet-what
Look at that thing on the cover. No, not the lion, the one at the bottom. Rutgers was not always known as the Scarlet Knights.
https://www.onthebanks.com/2014/11/25/7251063/rutgers-trea-ure-hunter-the-scarlet-what
Chanticleer (no "s") 1925-1955 with the students doing tiered voting to come up with the winner of the name changing contest - Scarlet Knights. Unlike today, where lawyers set up trademarks, copy writes, etc. to protect a symbol, these are the days where you just did it.
The unofficial nicknames in history were the "Scarlet" and the "Queensmen." The "Scarlet" goes back near the beginning because newspapers broke up the monotony of using the school name over and over and started substituting in the school color. Princeton was called the "orange and black." Harvard was originally the "magenta" before becoming the "crimson." In Harvard's - and other's - cases, the color name stuck and eventually became the recognized nickname. But the "scarlet" never was.
And "Queensmen" only starts to show up shortly after the "Chanticleer" became official. But "Queensmen" has the same status as, say, "The Bronx Bombers." Everyone knows who you are talking about but that is not the official nickname of the American League baseball team in New York.
WCTC went on the air December 12, 1946 and was owned by Chanticleer Broadcasting and its station manager James L. Howe, Rutgers Class of 1932, who sold WCTC in 1959. The call letters were taken from the Rutgers nickname at the time, ChanTiCleer.
In 1923, Rutgers students wanted to start a college humor magazine along the lines of a Harvard Lampoon. The magazine was named "Chanticleer." It's where the nickname got its start.
The unofficial nicknames in history were the "Scarlet" and the "Queensmen." The "Scarlet" goes back near the beginning because newspapers broke up the monotony of using the school name over and over and started substituting in the school color. Princeton was called the "orange and black." Harvard was originally the "magenta" before becoming the "crimson." In Harvard's - and other's - cases, the color name stuck and eventually became the recognized nickname. But the "scarlet" never was.
And "Queensmen" only starts to show up shortly after the "Chanticleer" became official. But "Queensmen" has the same status as, say, "The Bronx Bombers." Everyone knows who you are talking about but that is not the official nickname of the American League baseball team in New York.
WCTC went on the air December 12, 1946 and was owned by Chanticleer Broadcasting and its station manager James L. Howe, Rutgers Class of 1932, who sold WCTC in 1959. The call letters were taken from the Rutgers nickname at the time, ChanTiCleer.
In 1923, Rutgers students wanted to start a college humor magazine along the lines of a Harvard Lampoon. The magazine was named "Chanticleer." It's where the nickname got its start.
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Some goodies:
Scarlet Scourge,
You definitely should have submitted this to the article on Rutgers memorabilia from 1-1-2018. If a part II is ever written, please do send this one in. It's a great piece!
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...unters_rutgers_fans_share_unearth_some_r.html
Before the Chanticleer, Rutgers would bring a dogs to the games.
I have seen an old photo of a dog with the Rutgers band.
Also I remember reading an old newspaper article of a Rutgers bulldog going after the Stevens Tech's Duck.
Anyone know the story with that?
I have seen an old photo of a dog with the Rutgers band.
Also I remember reading an old newspaper article of a Rutgers bulldog going after the Stevens Tech's Duck.
Anyone know the story with that?
A direct mention of a Rutgers mascot was in the November 25, 1912 Daily Home News at that Saturday’s big game at Castle Point Field in Hoboken, “On the Stevens side of the field was ‘Ignatz,’ a goose bedecked with the colors of the Engineers, and ‘Jerry,’ a brindle bull dog was the Rutgers mascot.” The October 2, 1923 Targum lamented: “ Speaking of mascots, it seems too bad that we cannot secure one somehow. A few years ago, Rutgers had a bull terrier that was dressed up for all the games and led the student body whenever an ‘R’ was formed on the field.” Yale’s bulldog, Handsome Dan XVI, is part of a lineage that goes back to 1889 and is considered the oldest, continually used mascot.
The November 24, 1912 New York Tribune had a different name for Rutgers dog, "Stevens has as a mascot a goose, christened “Ignatz” tethered by a flaming red ribbon to a stout post in front of the cheering section. Ignatz had a most miserable time of it. He failed to enter into the spirit of the occasion. Further discomfort was added to his unhappy lot when “Kelly,” the big bulldog mascot of Rutgers, tried to eat him up between halves. The Rutgers men took this as an omen.”
The November 24, 1912 New York Tribune had a different name for Rutgers dog, "Stevens has as a mascot a goose, christened “Ignatz” tethered by a flaming red ribbon to a stout post in front of the cheering section. Ignatz had a most miserable time of it. He failed to enter into the spirit of the occasion. Further discomfort was added to his unhappy lot when “Kelly,” the big bulldog mascot of Rutgers, tried to eat him up between halves. The Rutgers men took this as an omen.”
Somewhat interesting chronologically because that would imply the existence of athletic teams prior and up to 1825, when the school name changed to Rutgers College. Did the school even have any athletic teams in the early 1800s? Baseball, football, basketball all came after. Rowing/crew, I believe, may have been the first sport to be competed in with other colleges but I don't recall the starting date. @Source? Also, given the stretch in the early 1800s that the school was shuttered due to shortage of operating funds, I'm surprised there were any athletic teams to speak of, especially for intercollegiate competition.
" ...interesting chronologically because that would imply the existence of athletic teams prior and up to 1825, when the school name changed to Rutgers College..."
No. The claim in that sentence takes its liberties with a time line. The Yale Harvard Boat Race was held on August 3, 1852 and is considered America's first intercollegiate sports competition. There were sports on college campuses earlier in time but were usually confined to such. The first intercollegiate baseball game was July 1, 1859 when Amherst defeated Willliams 73-32 in Pittsfield, MA.
Rutgers first intercollegiate competition was a May 5, 1866 baseball game at Princeton. Its second was November 6, 1869 vs. Princeton in football and its third June 20, 1870 when Rutgers hosted the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard on the Raritan River in Crew.
Students funded the sports they played. They would solicit the student body for "subscriptions." We would call it "passing the hat." Later they charged admission to events to defray some of the costs they encountered.
From the Civil War throughout the 19th century, their baseball team was the Alert Base Ball Club of Seton Hall College. Their first game was in October of 1863 at the Rose Hills Base Ball Club of St. John's College (known today as Fordham University).
April 24, 1931 - Seton Hall Rallies to an 11-10 win over Holy Cross
"...The commotion that was the last-ditch comeback prompted a local sportswriter in attendance to exclaim, "This Seton Hall team is a gang of Pirates!" Upon hearing of the proclamation after the game, the SHU team decided that their newfound name was fitting, and that they would return to South Orange and be known as the Pirates thereafter....."
http://www.shupirates.com/sports/2016/7/10/trads-seha-trads-html.aspx
Not so fast!
Source: January, 1861 Rutgers College Quarterly, page 147
Rutgers Class of 1862 defeated Rutgers Class of 1863 at New Brunswick
“Ball playing became quite the rage last fall. Two well contested matches were played between the Junior and Sophomore clubs, the Junior at both games bearing off the palm. The want of a good gymnasium is very much felt at Rutgers, and as ball playing in part supplies this want, it should be encouraged.”
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I know better than to argue with the Source on RU history. Crew web site claims to be the first. Just a guess they raced against other non collegiate crews in 1864?? And they don’t recognize intermural games as “organized”???
Guess it depends on what your definition of is is
Guess it depends on what your definition of is is
