Yale’s newest mascot, Handsome Dan XVIII is coming to a home game soon! The Handsome Dan/Yale Mascot legacy dates back to 1890 with the introduction of a bulldog named Harper. Harper was purchased from a local merchant by a Yale student, who took the very dirty dog home and gave him a good scrubbing. The student discovered under all the grime an almost white bulldog. Legend has it he exclaimed to Harper “why aren’t you the handsome Dan!”
After the loss of Sherman (HD 17) in August, Athletics located a breeder of Old English Bulldogs in Maine and selected HD 18 from a litter of eight. Currently the pup is attending big blue mascot training school, preparing hard to lead our Bulldogs to victory. (BTW we beat Harvard in the November 2016 “game!)
The pup’s official name is still yet to be announced, but we hope to hear from his new handler Kevin Discepolo ’09 soon. Go bulldog!
#handsomedanxviii