The Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket mascot is a beloved symbol of the university. The mascot, named Buzz, represents the spirit and energy of Georgia Tech. Buzz is a yellow jacket, which is a type of wasp that is native to Georgia. The yellow jacket is known for its distinctive yellow and black stripes, which are the same colors as Georgia Tech's official colors. Buzz is always seen wearing a Georgia Tech jersey and holding a megaphone, ready to cheer on the Georgia Tech teams. He can often be found at athletic events, encouraging the crowd to show their support and enthusiasm.
The Yellow Jacket: A brief illustrative history
There are a few important developments in a college’s adolescence: a name, a mission and the institution of some sports teams. Even though Tech had a football team, it lacked a unifying mascot. For years, players were referred to as “Blacksmiths” or one of the other many nicknames that came and went. Nothing stuck — not until 1905.
That’s when the nomer “Yellow Jackets” was first used: during a press conference given by then-coach John Heisman, which was covered by the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC). The name was bestowed upon the players because of their yellow jerseys.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Archives
A year later, the Jackets saw the first graphic production of their namesake; it was a cartoon in the AJC depicting a cartoon yellow jacket buzzing around a rather ugly University of Georgia football player, who cowers and begs not to be stung. The cartoon, signed by “Brewerton” is accompanied by a caption: “Somebody’s going to get stung.”
For decades thereafter, the mascot was drawn by various artists, cartoonists and illustrators, all with different interpretations.
Some depictions were more popular than others. Most featured an imagined creature that was half man and half insect. A few, according to Director of Living History, Marilyn Somers, were considered offensive because of their allusions to offensive blackface illustrations. The rest, luckily, were inoffensive and the offense intended was towards the Jackets’ rival.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Archives
These illustrations are carefully preserved by the archives department of the Tech library.
Tech produced programs that would feature these illustrations of the yellow jacket. Despite different logos coming into fashion, there was no standardized cartoon of the character.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Archives
In 1979, a student named Richie Bland ran onto the field dressed as a yellow jacket and soon after became the official mascot of Tech, alongside the Reck. This goofy character inspired the drawings that came after.
In 1984, one of those football programs — the Tech vs. Alabama game — featured the yellow jacket that Tech students know and love today.
This illustration was done by Mike Lester, who was a cartoonist for the AJC and eventually became known for his football programs. His piece grew to be the most popular depiction of the yellow jacket, used by the general media, fans and promotional materials from the Institution.
Lester drew about 130 football program covers for Tech’s Athletic Association, and his illustrations were so well-loved that he was presented with a plaque during halftime after 100 illustrations.
Lester, currently a syndicated cartoonist with the Washington Post, still considers this series of drawings one of his greatest accomplishments. He has been a Jackets fan since the start, when he was growing up in Atlanta.
“My dad worked at Capitol Automobile and took me to GT games on [Saturdays]. We walked to The Varsity and then to the game after he got off work. Bobby Dodd was my idol,” said Lester. “Georgia Tech has always been very good to me and my family — and I’m a UGA grad. Go Jackets.”
Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Archives
The yellow jacket, who became known as Buzz, faced a few bumps in the road. In 1998, Tech officials filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Salt Lake Buzz, the mascot for a minor league baseball team. After some back and forth, Tech won the legal battle — the team now goes by the Salt Lake Stingers. Tech students remain the only Jackets.
In 2002, Tech officially bought the copyright to Buzz from Lester. The image and name of the Yellow Jacket has remained safely guarded by the students of the Tech community.
“I think every time someone sees the caricature or the image … you look at it and it’s familiar,” Somers said. “It’s something you’re proud of. I think he’s for fun. He’s not to be taken seriously, not for one second.”
Mascot Memoirs: Buzz, Georgia Tech
Editor's note: Welcome to the third installment of "Mascot Memoirs," in which NCAA mascots from around the country relive their fondest memories from behind the mask. Previously, we checked in with Michigan State’s Sparty and Notre Dame's leprechaun.
Here’s a secret you may not know about Buzz, Georgia Tech’s yellow jacket mascot: He’s actually played by multiple students, one per quarter during a typical football game.
Here’s another secret: those students’ identities. So the only facts we can reveal about one Buzz we spoke to is that he’s a fifth-year biology major, premed, and this is his second year donning the wings and stinger.
Why is a full colony of yellow jackets necessary?
“He’s super-curious, super-hyper and crazy unpredictable,” Buzz says. "You have to do full sprints, jump up walls and run through people. It gets very tiring -- and it’s very, very hot in Atlanta.”
As the Buzzes prepare to invade El Paso, Texas, for the Sun Bowl versus USC on New Year's Eve, our Buzz correspondent relived some of his most memorable moments:
• Date: Sept. 10, 2011
• Where: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
• Event: Georgia Tech football beats Middle Tennessee State 49-21
Buzz says: “It was my first away game. Usually when we score, I run the flag through the end zone and the cheerleaders come after me and run tumbling passes. Instead of turning around and going outside the end zone, I just turned 180 degrees and ran directly back. I forgot the cheerleaders were doing tumbling passes. One was doing a round-off back handspring and going up for a back tuck. As she was coming for her back tuck, I ran full speed into her with the giant GT flag and pretty much caused her to face-plant into the end zone. All I remember was, I thought, ‘Oh God, I killed a cheerleader.’ It was bad.
“I asked the coach later and she said, ‘She’s OK, she’s a little hurt, but don’t do that again.’ That’s an inside joke that we keep bringing up … that we should do that to a cheerleading freshman, just run into them with a flag.”
The upset over Clemson led to spontaneous crowd surfing. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
• Date: Oct. 29, 2011
• Where: Atlanta
• Event: Georgia Tech football upsets fifth-ranked Clemson 31-17
Buzz says: “I had first quarter of that game. It was electric. Nighttime at Bobby Dodd Stadium -- it was crazy, super-loud, everybody is jazzed up. People were throwing me up, [I was] crowd surfing . it was so incredibly loud.
"You’re standing on a wall and you’re waving your arms and pumping everyone up and you’re getting energized. I was able to contribute to making it super-loud and it helped the football players feed off of that. Even though we didn’t end the season as well as expected, playing a role in that upset was incredible. We stormed the field, and my teammate in the fourth quarter was crowd surfing for a good 30 minutes. No one would let him down.”
• Date: Spring 2012
• Where: Georgia
• Event: Buzz and friends visit an ill fan.
Buzz says: “Earlier this year, there was a man named Mr. Marshall. He asked for Buzz at his 95th birthday party, but before the party he had a heart attack. He was hooked up to oxygen at his house and had his caretakers around. When we found out about it, we sent myself with a cheerleader and a whole bunch of GT goodies.
"We visited him in his house. He looked very ill. When he saw me and the cheerleader, he started smiling and crying. Just for me to be able to be there for 10 minutes and make him smile and cry from joy, that was one of my most meaningful moments. It shows you as a mascot what you can do. It was very humbling.”
• Date: Oct. 21, 2012
• Where: Atlanta
• Event: RamblinWreckTube, the GT Athletic Association’s YouTube channel, posts a “Gangnam Style” parody video starring cheerleaders and athletes like GT offensive lineman J.C. Lanier.
Buzz says: “We wanted to increase school spirit; it’s been a tough year for us. We filmed it on two days and put it together. It’s up to over 30,000 views. Especially for Tech being a small school, I heard buzz around campus that it was popular on Facebook.
"When someone says, 'You see the "Gangnam Style" video? It’s awesome!' I’m like two rows behind them eating lunch and laughing to myself, saying they have no idea that’s me. I guess that’s one of the benefits of being a secret mascot.”
• Date: Oct. 27, 2012
• Where: Atlanta, Ga.
• Event: BYU defeats Georgia Tech football 41-17
Cheerleaders and photographers should fear the Buzz. Lance King/Getty Images
Buzz says: “I’m in the student section, pumping them up. I think we scored a touchdown -- I ran to the corner and do pushups on something called a Buzz board. When I jumped over the wall, I thought I probably just hit one of the stages for the band and ran to my corner.
"[Later] my boss asked me, ‘Do you know what you did?’ I landed on a photographer and broke his $8,000 camera.
"My first reaction was, ‘Oh geez, not me. Why me?’ He was upset. Luckily for me, I didn’t get in trouble. They had to sign paperwork for liability for being on the field. I felt really bad.”
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He can often be found at athletic events, encouraging the crowd to show their support and enthusiasm. In addition to sporting events, Buzz also attends campus events and community activities. He is known for his high energy and friendly personality, always ready to interact with fans and students.
Buzz has become a well-known symbol of Georgia Tech and has even been inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. He has a strong presence on social media, with his own accounts and hashtags. Overall, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket mascot is a cherished symbol of the university, embodying the spirit and enthusiasm of the Georgia Tech community..
Reviews for "The Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Mascot: The Ultimate Game Day Experience"
1. John - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket mascot. It looked nothing like a yellow jacket! The costume was poorly designed and the colors were all wrong. It just didn't have the intimidating presence that a mascot should have. Overall, I felt it was a letdown and didn't add anything to the Georgia Tech game experience.
2. Sarah - 3/5 stars - While I appreciate the effort put into creating a mascot for Georgia Tech, I found the Yellow Jacket mascot to be a bit underwhelming. The costume looked outdated and lacked the energy and excitement that other mascots bring to a game. Additionally, the movements of the mascot were stiff and unnatural. It just didn't seem to connect with the fans or create the desired level of team spirit. Overall, I think Georgia Tech could benefit from a redesign or update of their Yellow Jacket mascot.
3. Michael - 1/5 stars - I have to say, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket mascot was a complete failure in my opinion. The costume looked cheap and poorly made. The proportions were all wrong, and it didn't resemble a yellow jacket at all. It just seemed like a half-hearted attempt at creating a mascot. It didn't engage the crowd or create any excitement during the game. I think Georgia Tech should seriously consider reevaluating their choice of mascot.
4. Jennifer - 2/5 stars - The Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket mascot was a disappointment. The costume lacked the vibrant colors and attention to detail that would have made it more appealing. It felt outdated and didn't capture the spirit of the team. The mascot's movements were clumsy and awkward, and it just didn't connect with the fans. I think Georgia Tech should invest in a new mascot design that can better represent the university and its sports teams.