University of North Texas

The University of North Texas (UNT) is located in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1890 as Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute, it became North Texas Normal College in 1894, and North Texas State Normal College in 1901. It has subsequently been known as North Texas State Teachers College (1923), North Texas State College (1949), and North Texas State University (1961), before being renamed UNT in 1988. It is now the largest university in the north Texas area and the fourth largest university in Texas, with more than 32,000 students. It is the flagship for the University of North Texas System, which also includes University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and the University of North Texas Dallas Campus.

Mascots

The university as a whole still uses the eagle mascot adopted in 1922. A large statue of the mascot at the center of campus is a local landmark. The costumed eagle character Scrappy appears at games and university events, though he didn't always go by that name; in 1974, students who felt "Scrappy" was too warlike dubbed the bird Eppy, and he kept that name until 1995.

Related Topics:
Eagle - 1922 - 1974 - 1995

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In recent years, however, many of UNT's athletics programs (especially football) have adopted the name Mean Green. The name is associated with football legend and 1969 NTSU graduate "Mean" Joe Greene, although stories about the actual origins of "Mean Green" vary. http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/archives/w04/mean.htm

Related Topics:
1969 - "Mean" Joe Greene

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In the spring of 2002, the school's chapter of the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society attempted to make the group's namesake the school's secondary mascot. The student body narrowly rejected the measure; if it had passed, it would have made North Texas the nation's second university to have a secondary mascot.

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