Mascot Program

During the 1980s, UHCL boasted an active intramural sports program. Players and fans brought up the subject of a mascot, and Alumni Association leaders advocated naming the red-shouldered hawk as the official mascot. However, no consensus was reached, and UHCL closed the decade without a mascot.

In the spring of 1990, the university held a contest to identify an official mascot, offering a prize of $500. The only qualification was that the mascot could not be a caged animal. By September, 10 semi-finalists emerged from the original 168 entries: Voyagers, Hurricanes, Comets, Lasers, Challengers, Clippers, Lakers, Waves, Explorers, and Platypus. Students, faculty and staff were invited to choose one of the semi-finalists and submit a contest entry based on the name, including a drawing or pictorial representation, slogan, rationale, and ideas for mascot use.

In October of 1990, UHCL Executive Council narrowed the finalists to five, and Scott Martin's "Hurricanes" design was selected as the official mascot. University officials expected the design to appear on all mascot paraphernalia and souvenirs, including T-shirts, representing the UHCL intercollegiate sports and recreation teams. However, implementation of the new mascot was derailed as the university community focused its attention on the search for a new president after the resignation of Dr. Thomas Stauffer in the spring of 1991. Furthermore, the Texas State Legislature, facing a budget crisis, cut higher education funding, which led to the closing of the DAB and the Recreation and Sports Department.

By fall 1992, the Hurricanes mascot had faded into obscurity.

In summer 1999, students planning the second annual Welcome Back to School Bash created an icon out of the blue and green UHCL logo to promote their planning efforts. The design they sketched became known as “Blockie.” A trademarked symbol of the university, Blockie was used by Student Involvement and Leadership to promote a range of activities and events. In addition to Blockie, the egret was often mistakenly recognized as the official university mascot. Calls for an official UHCL mascot periodically occurred across campus, as seen in the UHCLidian – now The Signal - in 2001, 2007, 2008 and 2010.

• Selection of the Hawk as the official UHCL mascot
• Five-phase selection process with input from students, alumni, faculty, staff and the community
• Formation of a UHCL Mascot Leadership Team
• Call for a mascot from students, alumni, faculty and staff

• Presentation of the UHCL Hawk mascot logo art

• Introduction of the the Hawk costumed character
• New UHCL mascot name revealed as Hunter the Hawk during the annual I HEART UHCL festivities