Indiana University has long been known as ‘The Hoosiers,’ but this week the university announced it would be reviving a decades-old mascot that many may not have ever heard of. In a series of promotional videos, IU athletics said ‘welcome home’ to Hoosier the Bison.
According to ESPN, IU student government “passed a bill advocating for its official return.” That bill, the Bring Back the Bison Act of 2024, passed in December. The bison was first appointed as IU’s mascot in 1965, but it was promptly retired in 1969. A few depictions of the Bison can still be found around campus and on the Indiana state seal.
Hoosier the Bison will make its official debut during the Fall 2025 football season. However, to build excitement early, IU athletics released a series of promotional videos calling on classic film references like Star Wars and even Michael Jordan’s 1995 return to the NBA announcement.
The promotional videos feature IU football coach Curt Cignetti and men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries as well as athletics department leadership.
One fan told Fox59 News that resurrecting the Bison mascot was a great decision because, “Nobody knows what a Hoosier is.” The fan said this move would unify everybody.
Zach Goldberg, president of the IU study government, said, “We ran a survey on our Instagram, which reached over 3,000 people. In which 72% of people responded that they would like to see the bison come back.”
Goldberg went on to say that an alleged reason the mascot was retired in 1969 was due to the costume being uncomfortable. At the time, students and staff could not rectify the issue. This generation’s bison mascot suit was teased in the promotional videos and will be unveiled in the fall.
