The Murray State Mascot Scoop: Catching Up with Racer and Racer Jr.

The Murray State Racers have a unique and beloved mascot that serves as a symbol for the university and its athletic teams. The mascot, affectionately known as "Racer One," is a large, costumed raccoon character. Racer One can often be seen at athletic events, engaging with fans, and cheering on the teams. The choice of a raccoon as the university's mascot is significant, as it represents the resilience, adaptability, and determination that Murray State strives to instill in its students. The raccoon is known for its ability to survive and thrive in a variety of environments, making it a fitting representation of the university's commitment to preparing students for success in an ever-changing world. Racer One has become an integral part of the Murray State community.

Lee Clark College is a four-story building comprised of 4-person suite-style rooms, 2-person rooms, and private rooms. as well as study lounges, two meeting rooms, one community kitchen, and a pool room. There are approximately 1,300 students assigned to Clark with about 300 actually residing in Clark College.

This is also a philanthropic event for Clark College, as attendees are asked to bring canned or dry goods to donate to Needline, a local food bank that serves the larger Murray community. In the bottom right quadrant is a yellow lamp representing knowledge; in the top right quadrant is a cross that symbolizes faith; in the top left quadrant is the Murray State University mascot, the race-horse.

Racer One has become an integral part of the Murray State community. The mascot's presence at sporting events brings a sense of excitement and enthusiasm to spectators and serves as a rallying point for school spirit. The costume itself is vibrant and eye-catching, featuring the university's colors of navy blue and gold.

Lang’s World: College football mascots and nicknames provide unique window into a program’s competitive soul

MEMPHIS – This past weekend, the University of Kentucky followed up their big upset of Florida with a game against Murray State. That would be the Murray State Racers, a small school in western Kentucky. Murray State lost the game 48-10, but that was really beside the point. Because moreover, Murray State lost a perception battle when this tweet went viral:

Yep, that’s a Wildcat in the front, a Kentucky Wildcat, a feline so ferocious that, according to Wikipedia, it will “pursue prey atop trees, even jumping from one branch to another.” And in the back, there is the Murray State mascot, which is apparently two people in a costume that looks like I made it. Now as it turns out, after I did about 2 seconds of investigative work on the internet, I found out that this is not actually the Murray State mascot – they have a mascot that actually looks like a mascot. But social media has spoken, and for an entire generation of people, including myself, I will also associate two folks in a horsey costume as being the Murray State mascot. Heck, if anything, Murray State should lean into this and make two people in a horsey costume an official mascot. They lost to Kentucky by 40, they aren’t getting on SportsCenter anytime soon for anything else. The lesson here is that we don’t choose our mascots; they choose us. Which is how I, a grown man, am now rooting for a baseball team with a mascot named Blooper. Our teams select their nicknames and mascots, we’re just here for the ride. And hopefully it’s a ride we don’t mind taking. At the risk of generalizing, I feel like we can break college mascots down into a couple of simple categories. Let’s sift through and find out what they tell us about ourselves.

1. Fierce Animals

Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! This is probably the broadest and most popular category of mascot, and to be honest it probably makes the most sense. If you are going to have your program embodied by an animal, why shouldn’t you choose an animal that ostensibly could defeat a human in a man vs. beast situation? For example, LSU has a real friggin’ tiger in a cage, which is terrifying. Florida is represented by a male and female alligator duo, and we all know that alligators regularly eat Floridians alive. Colorado has a live buffalo on the sideline; I once saw a buffalo try to headbutt a car at Yosemite National Park, which was awesome. Auburn claims not only a tiger but also an eagle, and not just any eagle but a war eagle, whatever that is. I dislike Auburn, but I have to allow that putting the word “war” in front of any animal makes that animal sound at least three times more badass. The Memphis Tigers sound relatively menacing, but you can’t tell me the Memphis War Tigers isn’t even scarier. Preceding eagle with “war” almost makes up for Gus Malzahn’s short-sleeve mock turtlenecks. Almost.

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

You are here to be on top. If your school has an animal of prey as their mascot, you are there to destroy your opponent and win big.

2. Not-Fierce Animals

There are many colleges that decided to select an animal for their mascot, then immediately chose to not pick an animal that would actually do any damage if tested. My Georgia Bulldogs, for instance, have a live mascot named Uga who looks mildly mean, but mostly just sits on a bag of ice in an air conditioned dog house during games. Georgia Tech’s mascot is an insect. Alabama chose an elephant, which is big but lumbering. Texas has a live steer on the field, which I’m pretty sure is just a cow with comically large horns taped to his head. Maryland uses a jacked terrapin named Testudo. According to Google, a terrapin is “a small edible turtle with lozenge-shaped markings on its shell, found in coastal marshes of the eastern US.” Oooh, please don’t attack me Mr. Edible Turtle!

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

You are here to compete, but when push comes to shove you might be beaten. Unless you are an Alabama fan, because y’all are crazy.

3. Weird Animals

Now we’re just messing around. These are colleges that chose animals, but basically just decided to pick an animal that is comically unknown. The University of California at Santa Cruz, for instance, held a school-wide vote in the 1980s to make the “Banana Slug” the school’s official mascot. Which is, you know, humorous, but doesn’t exactly strike fear in anyone’s heart. (At least not anyone armed with a salt shaker.) Cal-Irvine went with an anteater, while Texas Christian University is represented by a Horned Frog named Super Frog.

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

4. Nature

If you can’t be an animal, I guess something else in nature is an interesting way to go? As a result, many schools choose other naturally occurring phenomena as a mascot. (Worth noting: We are delving into a gray area here, where a school’s mascot doesn’t necessarily match their nickname. This will happen frequently for here on. Just stick with us. We’re talking about fuzzy suits.) At Stanford, for instance, their nickname is The Cardinal, but their mascot is a tree. Which would seem to discourage much interaction with fans. The Miami Hurricanes are represented by an Ibis, and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane have a superhero-ish dude with the power to summon weather. St. John’s recently pivoted to a Red Storm, whatever that is. And Delta State University’s mascot is the Fighting Okra. If anything, the okra should be a Slimy Okra, because what any good chef knows is the toughest part of conquering okra is the slime.

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

You love the outdoors in all its various shapes and forms. You swear your team will get it together one of these days, when the sun gets into the right moon, or however that astrology stuff works.

5. Jobs/Hobbies

Now we get to the part of the list where we move into the human world, with a bunch of mascots and nicknames that are basically just based on stuff people do. Here in Tennessee, people Volunteer, while in West Virginia they Mountaineer. In Western Kentucky they top hills, and in Lafayette, Louisiana, the Cajuns rage. These nicknames are not, however, always represented literally by the team’s respective mascots. The Vols, for instance, have a hound dog named Smokey patrol their sideline, while the Ragin’ Cajuns have a red thing (a pepper?) named Cayenne. I prefer the more clear-cut jobs in this category, such as the Navy Midshipmen, the Vanderbilt Commodores, and even the East Carolina Pirates.

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

6. Occult Figures

Hey covered most of the natural world, I suppose it only makes sense that some schools have turned to the supernatural. Wake Forest, for instance, has claimed a Demon Deacons as their mascot. Not so far away at Duke, they’ve selected the Blue Devils, while in Arizona they’ve chosen a Sun Devil.

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

7. Straight-Up Weird Stuff

Hey Michigan State, I like that you’ve chosen the Spartan as your mascot, but what the heck is a Sparty? Wichita State’s mascot is something called WuShock, which I believe delivered the third verse on “C.R.E.A.M.” At St. Louis, the mascot is the Billiken, which is something that doesn’t even exist. According to one website, a Billiken is a mythical good-luck figure who represents “things as they ought to be.” What does that even mean? Yeah, I don’t know either. But to me, perhaps the most troubling mascot of them all is the Syracuse Orangemen, a strange cross-breeding between an orange and a human. No thanks!

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

8. Nuts

WHAT THIS MEANS ABOUT YOU:

You find Mr. Peanut too edgy. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Lang Whitaker are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

Remember when you were younger, and your school would have a Field Day? It was a day of friendly, whimsical challenges, followed by a celebratory meal. This is a Field Day for adults. Teams made up of Clark residents and affiliated commuters compete in various events including Human Horseshoe, Sack Racing, Name That Tune, and the Tricycle Race! The Clark Olympics and banquet are always on a Saturday early in the fall semester as a way to get to know the other members of the Clark community.

In addition to sporting events, Racer One is also involved in community outreach and engagement. The mascot visits local schools, attends parades and festivals, and participates in charity events, helping to build connections between the university and the surrounding community. Overall, the Murray State Racers' mascot, Racer One, plays a pivotal role in creating a sense of unity and pride among students, alumni, and fans. The raccoon character embodies the university's values and serves as a constant reminder of the institution's commitment to excellence. Whether it's on the field or in the community, Racer One is a beloved symbol of Murray State that brings joy and excitement wherever it goes..

Reviews for "The Murray State Mascot: Racer's Impact on the Community"

1. Jane Smith - 1 star - The Murray State Mascot was absolutely terrible. It was nothing more than a person dressed in a poorly made costume with a giant head that looked more like a cartoon character than an actual mascot. The costume was falling apart and the person inside clearly had no enthusiasm or energy. Overall, it was a huge disappointment and did not add any excitement or spirit to the game.

2. John Doe - 2 stars - I was not impressed with the Murray State Mascot. The design of the costume itself was unimpressive and lacked creativity. It looked like a generic, low-quality mascot that you could find at any random sporting event. Additionally, the person inside the costume seemed disinterested and was just going through the motions without any real enthusiasm. The mascot failed to create a memorable experience or engage the crowd in any meaningful way.

3. Emily Johnson - 1 star - As a long-time fan of Murray State, I was extremely underwhelmed by the mascot. It felt like a last-minute addition with no real thought or effort put into it. The costume was shabby and seemed like it would fall apart any minute. Moreover, the person inside lacked any excitement or energy, making the mascot even more forgettable. It definitely did not enhance the overall game experience and left much to be desired in terms of school spirit.

4. Mark Thompson - 2 stars - The Murray State Mascot was disappointing to say the least. The costume lacked any originality or creativity, and it seemed like it was made on a tight budget. The mascot's movements were stiff and awkward, showing a lack of training or rehearsal. It failed to generate any genuine excitement or engagement with the crowd. Overall, I felt that the mascot was a missed opportunity to create a memorable and energetic atmosphere at the game.

5. Sarah Adams - 1 star - I have to say, the Murray State Mascot was extremely lackluster. The costume looked cheap and outdated, and the person inside did not bring any energy or excitement to the mascot's performance. It felt like a half-hearted attempt at creating a school spirit icon. The mascot failed to connect with the audience and did not contribute to the overall enjoyment of the game. I was extremely disappointed and expected much better from Murray State.

The Murray State Mascot Experience: Joining the Ranks of Racer Nation