The legend of Otto

Otto is Arngee's real name. We did not know that when we, the Class of 04, discovered him in the summer of 02. Otto seems stodgy, like an old man smoking a stogy! Arngee fits. But there is a story behind the name and I thought I would share it.

How Otto the Orange Got His Name

In the early 1980's it was time again to look for a new sports mascot. Several cadidates were taken under consideration, including a penguin with an orange scarf, an orangutan, the Abominable Orangeman, the Orangeman, Egnaro the Troll and an Orange. In the end, it was a warm, fuzzy and lovable Orange (known by several names through the years) that won the day. Despite recent attempts to give him a facelift, Otto has remained the same and is here to stay.

The mascot was known as "The Orange" until 1990 when the name Otto first came into use. The first Orange costume was dubbed "Clyde" by the Lambda Chi Alpha brothers, and the second called "Woody." In 1990 a third costume was being produced and needed a name. The cheerleaders were at Cheerleading Camp in Tennessee that summer and narrowed the field down to two potential names - Opie or Otto. Figuring the name Opie would lead to the inevitable rhyme with 'dopey', they settled on Otto. Later that Fall, word got out that the cheerleaders were calling the latest mascot costume, Otto and the name stuck.

Since it seems so arbitrary, I say we make a movement to rename him once again!