Bradley University (BU) has chosen a Gargoyle as the school's new mascot for the first time after more than 20 years.

Prior to Gargoyle, a Bobcat was the university's only other mascot. Introduced in 1996, the Bobcat was disliked and was eventually terminated around the 2000s.

The university officials said that they decided to have a mascot after two years of intense discussions and surveys. Officials said that over 3,200 respondents supported the school decision to have a mascot and preferred gargoyle, a mythical creature often used in architectural designs. The mascot was preferred over a lion and an eagle.

"A very clear message was sent through the survey that said, 'We want a mascot,' " Cross said. "That's the easy part. While the gargoyle was the clear choice, a lot still needs to be worked on."

Cross said that no other Division I school has the gargoyle as a mascot. Students will sport the outfit at games and other campus events.

"We're on the path to having a mascot," BU athletics director Michael Cross told PJ Star. "The design of the costume still has to be developed and it could take 14 to 16 weeks. Because some of the steps have already been handled, we're hopeful it's a little less time in our case."

The university is collaborating with Pennsylvania-based Joe Bosack Graphic Design Co., for the licensed apparel and an unnamed firm to design the mascot costume.

"We want it to have a strong physical presence with a stone-like appearance that will represent our teams well and use Bradley's colors as accents and tie-ins," Cross said. "It will be something for the entire campus, for athletics, but also for events unrelated to athletics."

Currently, the University comprises of four gargoyle statues - two on Bradley Hall and two on the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center.

Although gargoyle is defined as "a strange or ugly human or animal figure that sticks out from the roof of a building to throw rainwater clear," Cross considers it to be strong-minded and approachable.

Tags New, Mascot, Design