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Our Mascot: Sammy the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug

²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug Mascot strikes a pose

Say hello to Sammy.

²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug Mascot strikes a pose a different pose.

An unconventional mascot for an unconventional campus

Is there anyone who doesn’t love Sammy the Slug? 

In a counterculture reaction to the fierce athletic competition at most U.S. universities, ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Santa Cruz students chose the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug as their teams’ unofficial mascot in the early years. 

In 1980, when some campus teams wanted more organized yet still low-key competition, ²ÝÁñÉçÇøSC joined in five sports. They had to have an official team name, and student players agreed on the Sea Lions—a choice the chancellor at that time considered more dignified and suitable for serious play than the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slugs.

But the wider student body would have none of it, and they continued to root for the Slugs even after a sea lion was painted in the middle of the basketball floor.

After five years of dealing with the two-mascot problem, an overwhelming pro-Slug vote by students in 1986 convinced the chancellor to make the humble but adored ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug ²ÝÁñÉçÇøSC’s official mascot.

Former Chancellor Sinsheirmer, on the east field standing with a versions of the banana slug mascot with was a draped over students and you can see their feet sticking out.

Students in a ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug costume with Chancellor Robert Sinsheimer, on the East Field. (Photo courtesy of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Santa Cruz Special Collections)

Fittingly, Sammy gets lots of attention. The iconic mascot has been featured in People magazine, Sports Illustrated, and more.

Maybe most famously, John Travolta wore a ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Santa Cruz T-shirt with the Fiat Slug logo in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit movie Pulp Fiction.

The devoted half of a show to the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug and its history at ²ÝÁñÉçÇøSC.

Original Fiat Slug logo illustration.
Sammy the mascot in the chambers of the Santa Cruz City council holding their hands overhead in celebration.

Day of the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Slug

as the official mascot of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Santa Cruz in 2011. The Santa Cruz City Council declared Sept. 27, 2011, the official

Last modified: Jul 08, 2024