Jerry the Bulldog, campus ambassador at Arkansas Tech University, will make the trip to Copperas Cove, Texas, to cheer on the Wonder Boys during the 2015 C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Jerry will be available at Copperas Cove’s Bulldawg Stadium for photographs before the game, and he will be on the Arkansas Tech sideline throughout the Wonder Boys’ first bowl game appearance since 1968.
The tradition of Jerry the Bulldog at Arkansas Tech dates back to the mid-1930s. Owned by the W.O. Young family, the original Jerry spent much of his time on campus at the armory (now known as the Stroupe Building) with National Guard Battery F. The students and guardsmen there adopted Jerry as if he was their own.
Reports from an Arka Tech student newspaper article of the era state that Jerry was “always present at anything of importance at the armory,” which was a social center of campus at that time. When Jerry passed away in late 1937, the headline in the Arka Tech proclaimed “Campus Loses Mascot in Passing of Jerry.”
The story of Jerry was lost for three quarters of a century before it was rediscovered and restored as a permanent part of Arkansas Tech lore. The Arkansas Tech Student Government Association cast a unanimous vote to install Jerry the Bulldog as campus ambassador on Oct. 23, 2013.
The first modern Jerry — Jerry Charles Young I — was introduced as campus ambassador during a Homecoming Saturday ceremony on Oct. 26, 2013. Since that day, he has represented the university by appearing at a variety of athletic contests as well as campus and community events.
The 2015 C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl will mark the first time that Jerry Charles Young I has made an appearance at an Arkansas Tech game away from home.
Kickoff for the game between Arkansas Tech and Eastern New Mexico University is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. Radio station KCJC 102.3 FM and www.arkansastechsports.com will have the live play-by-play description.
Visit www.atu.edu/jerry to learn more about Jerry the Bulldog.
