IULOL: Back In Our Day, We Didn't NEED Mascots!

moar funny pictures (Hey gang! Join in on the IULOL happy fun times. On Twitter, use the hash tag #IULOL and describe your favorite UK victory over IU OR your favorite moment of IU humiliation. I'll post the best IULOL's on Saturday before the game. Also, don't forget about our official KSR Twitter list.) Before this week, I've never wondered why IU didn't have a mascot. In my IULOL research, I think I discovered why:

IU fans followed in stodgy lockstep. They were too serious of basketball fans to clutter up Assembly Hall with childish tomfoolery. They don't exactly know why people from Indiana were called Hoosiers and they sure in heck don't care to find out in order to define a mascot. They are stalwarts in the sport of basketball. Then the Gorilla showed up. hoosier the ape

That scooter is bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S! (link NSFW) In an interview with the Bloomington Herald-Times in Feburary, the IU student in the Gorilla costume just decided to go as a lark. Encouraged by the comments on the Indiana Rival's message board -- which is rehashing old Kentucky jokes in lieu of talking about the actual game -- Hoosier the Gorilla started making more and more appearances as an unofficial mascot of the school. In this interview with Strait Pinkie back in March, Hoosier the Gorilla (not to be confused with Password Gorilla) acknowledged that he is winning the IU fan base and IU Athletic Administrators over:

Pinkie: According to the IU cheerleading coach, IU’s Athletic Director (Fred Glass) recently said that he thought the IU Gorilla was “great” and very enthusiastic during the games; Is this the backing you need to make a full out push to become Indiana’s official mascot? IU Gorilla: Of course, why not!? What is a “hoosier” anyway? IU needs a mascot that people can associate with the team, and what could be better than a gorilla in the home whites wearing white stunner shades.

Personally, I find Hoosier the Gorilla a worthwhile addition to the Indiana Basketball lore. Just like our Wildcat and Scratch, the Gorilla can be an ambassador to the University for casual fans and children. Plus, other mascot gorillas have mastered the arts of dunking and methods of proper sports entertainment. Perhaps IU's primate-fan can help remove the sticks up the butts of older IU Alums in Assembly Hall. Of course, IU Athletics may want to properly potty-train Hoosier the Gorilla first.