Area mascots and their history
Schools have mascots to boost school spirit and foster a sense of community. These iconic figures, whether a fierce animal or friendly character, play a vital role in uniting students and fans. In an age where school pride reigns supreme, mascots bring a unique identity and energy to sporting events and school activities. So, why do school have mascots? This is a little history of the mascots from the schools in Perkins County.
Have you ever wondered how school mascots are chosen? Between the fall of 1932 and spring of 1937 the PCHS mascot was the Dragons. They later changed the name as Holyoke Colorado also had the Dragons as their mascot and they wanted something different, something to represent the pioneering spirit. The Plainsman name came about for the first time in the 1937-38 yearbook.
The original PCHS Plainsmen, featured a young pioneer dressed in a shirt and buckskin pants holding a rifle. He is standing with his foot on a rock and looking into the future symbolizing the agricultural heritage and pioneering spirit.
The current Plainsmen mascot has an interesting beginning. Jeanie Long Daiss and her classmate Toni Nowak Radke were on a trip one summer in 1964 and went into a bookstore at Nebraska Wesleyan University and while looking around saw a cute little character that caught their eye on a sack in the store. They thought it would be a perfect mascot for the high school in Grant. The current mascot at that time was a plainsman guy, tall and skinny and with a rifle but the girls really liked the one they saw on a sack in the store….so they stole it, Jeanie said. That was the beginning of the current Plainsmen logo mascot, more of a fun cartoon type. This character represented the school’s identity and the logo features a cartoon type character dressed in red and white with a hat and boots. He is winking and holding a rifle. The girls approached the administration to get it approved and had it printed on their cheer uniforms the coming school year for the 1964-65 school year and it became history. Through the years the shape of the little guy has changed a bit, with less weight, and different features etc. No one knows who came up with the nick name for the Plainsman mascot to call it LeRoy.
Jeanie said later Nebraska Wesleyan University changed their mascot to The Prairie Wolves.
A little side note: Nebraska Wesleyan had a Coyote as their mascot from 1917 to 1933, then they had various versions of a Plainsmen mascot until 2000 (the tall skinny guy and the cartoon guy). They changed to the Prairie Wolves after a few years and went back to the idea of the Coyote theme as being prairie wolves.
When my daughters were in Jr. High sports at GEMS (Grant Elementary Middle School) I had a brainy idea of creating a female version of the Plainsmen mascot just for fun. So I took the shape of the LeRoy one and created “Polly Plainsman”. She had yellow braids and more of an Annie Oakley look. I painted
her on a sheet and it was hung at a couple of the girls local sports events. Since I was the yearbook adviser at the high school I did put her on a page or two in the yearbook. It did not last long.
The Grant High School and Grant Elementary/Middle School were two different districts for a few years and their mascot was the Bulldogs, with blue and gold colors. Later the two districts merged to became one combined district and became Perkins County Public Schools. The high school was PCHS from 1920-1990, then became Grant High School from 1990-2005 after the county-wide consolidation in 2006 it became PCS, Perkins County Schools.
The mascots from the other schools in Perkins County were:
Grainton was the Bulldogs, not sure of the colors.
Venango’s mascot was the Panthers, the colors were blue and gold
Elsie’s mascot was Bulldogs, the colors were green and white.
Madrid’s mascot was the Pirates and their colors were orange and black
Wheatland’s mascot was the Spartans and the colors were white and black.
The Grant High School/Perkins County High School colors were just red and white for many years until the cheerleaders asked Mr. George Yerger, the high school principal at that time, if they could add a little black to their uniforms when they were ordering new ones, so the colors became red, white and black.
The Wheatland Schools and the schools in Grant consolidated in 2006 and it became Perkins County Schools, PCS, the mascot for the High School became the present one, the Plainsmen and the Junior High sports teams became the Spartans. To incorporate the colors from the other schools in the consolidation black was featured more so it has become a more prominent color now along with red and white in the sports uniforms.
Mascots are a brand of longevity. Principals retire, buildings get renovated but mascots out last it all. A strong mascot provides continuity across generations, creating a thread that connects past, present and future student. It is a timeless-symbols for students and alumni to be proud of for years to come. Mascots make a school recognizable and give a school an identity. So when you see the school mascot painted on activity buses and uniforms from other towns you can identify right away what town it is and the team name.
Mascots are more than just cute and cuddly characters—they’re ambassadors of school pride and unity, encouraging students to come together, support each other and celebrate the spirit of their school. So, the next time you see your school mascot, give them a big cheer and remember all the reasons why they hold such a special place in your school’s heart.