Nov. 17, 2008 SEATTLE - The University of Washington launched a second and final round of online voting today for the permanent name for its live dog mascot. Nearly 9,000 votes were cast in the initial contest that featured eight finalists. When only 100 votes separated the top three choices, the University decided to launch a second round of voting with the top three names - Dubs, Spirit and Sundodger. By clicking here between November 14 and December 1, fans can vote for their favorite among the three finalists. In late September, the school announced an initiative to search for an appropriate name for its live mascot that would remain an ongoing UW tradition. A contest was launched on GoHuskies.com and fans were asked to submit their favorite name for the live Husky dog, which has been the school's mascot since 1922. More than 1,400 different nominations were received and a committee that consisted of campus and community representatives narrowed the field to a reasonable list of finalists, including: Admiral, Dubs, King, Koda, Legend, Reign, Spirit and Sundodger. Once the new dog has been selected, the committee will introduce it to the UW community and announce the official name. The current mascot, Whitepaw's Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust ("Spirit") is the 10th Alaskan Malamute to serve as the Husky mascot. He leads the team out of the tunnel before every home football game and wanders the sidelines during each contest. The mascot also makes various appearances on behalf of the university and serves as a lasting image of the UW throughout the Northwest and the nation. Last spring, the school began making plans for Spirit's retirement at the conclusion of the 2008 football season. Prior to the Sept. 6 home football game against BYU, Spirit suffered a shoulder injury and, since that time, has been unable to attend UW games. |
