Bully is the official mascot of the Mississippi State University Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi, and the name is given to both the costumed mascot and the live bulldog that appears at State games. The live mascot Bully is an American Kennel Club registered English Bulldog, and each dog is given the inherited title of "Bully". The name "Bully" is traditionally considered a title and not the official name of the specific dog that holds it.
Association with the Bulldog
Mississippi State's athletics teams have had a variety of different nicknames throughout the years. The teams were called the "Aggies," as a reference to the school's agricultural roots as Mississippi A&M College. When the school officially became Mississippi State College in 1932, the teams adopted the nickname "Maroons," as that was the color of their uniforms. "Bulldogs" became the official nickname for State teams after the school was granted university status in 1961, but use of the nickname dates back to at least 1905.
Ptolemy
In 1935, Mississippi State head football coach Major Ralph Sasse acquired an English Bulldog in an effort to inspire his team. The dog was named "Ptolemy" (after the Greek mathematician and astronomer Claudius Ptolemy), and was affectionately nicknamed "Tol." The dog was "rented" from the Edgar Webster family in Memphis to serve as the team's mascot.
After Tol's arrival, Mississippi State defeated both Army (a college football powerhouse during that era) and Alabama. After the team posted an 8–3 record, State fans agreed that bringing on a mascot had been a good move, so Joe Rice Dockery (an alumnus and the proprietor of Dockery Farms), bought a bulldog named "Bully," a littermate of Ptolemy, and presented him to the school as a gift.
Bully
Ptolemy's littermate became the first mascot called "Bully" shortly after Sasse's team beat mighty Army 13–7 at West Point that same year, perhaps the greatest victory in MSU football history. But Bully (retroactively named "Bully I") earned other fame the hard way, in November 1939 when he was struck and killed by a campus bus. The students held a funeral for Bully that so elaborate that it was covered by LIFE magazine. Bully I was buried under the bench at the Scott Field 50-yard line.
Bully II ("Beau Legg", 1939–1940) was donated by Jayn Legg of Gulfport and served as mascot from 1939 until 1940, even presiding over an Orange Bowl win during his tenure, until he too met a tragic end after being struck by a bus. An elaborate funeral was also held in his honor, and he was interred at Hull Hall facing College Drive.
Bully III (1942) was donated to Mississippi State by J.W. Parker of West Point in March 1942, but little information exists as to his tenure as mascot, as he is never mentioned again after the July 1942 edition of The Reflector.
Bully IV ("Big Dog on Campus," 1942–?), called "B-Dog" for short, was purchased from Webster Kennels (the same kennel that bred Ptolemy and Bully I) in August 1942, but no record exists as to how long he served as mascot.
Bully V was a brindle bulldog purchased in July 1945 from a Greenwood resident by then-student body president David L. Cline. Despite his mascot status, the student newspaper was running advertisements to find him a home by January 1946. He served as mascot through March 1947 and died in 1951 due to "lack of exercise." He ended his tenure with a 14-5 (.736) overall record.
Bully VI was represented by two dogs. Mississippi State Athletics purchased one of the dogs ("Bully VI-A") from Sid Parker of West Point in September 1947 to serve as the mascot for the varsity football team. Similarly to Bully IV, he was named "Big Dog on Campus," but was affectionately known as "BDOC" for short. He was the first Mississippi State bulldog mascot to be "dog-napped"; prior to their game in October 1951, University of Georgia students dognapped Bully, but Mississippi State would persevere and win the football game 6–0. Photos from the Reveille yearbook show this Bully pulling on his leash, lunging toward opponent mascots including LSU's Mike the Tiger, the Baylor bear, and Alabama's live elephant Alamite. The other dog representing Bully VI ("Bully VI-B") was bought from Oklahoma City Kennels and given to the school as a gift in November 1947. This Bully served as the freshman team's mascot until BDOC's death in 1951, at which point Bully VI-B took over mascot duties for both the freshman and varsity teams through May 1952. The overall record for Bully VI (for both dogs) was a combined 19-25-2 (.431).