TC Panther
TC Panther is the Mascot for the University of Northern Iowa and the Northern Iowa Panthers athletic teams. TC (The Cat) is the award winning mascot for the University of Northern Iowa1, located in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Accomplishments
TC's list of accomplishments include:
- 1989-1990: Awarded the Runner Up trophy at the Universal Cheer Association's camp in Lincoln, NE
- 2001-2002: TC qualifies for his first ever trip to the UCA Mascot National Championships in Orlando, FL and places 12th 2
- 2002-2003: Awarded 4th place at the Milwaukee UCA camp
- 2003-2004: TC Qualifies for his second UCA Mascot National Championship in Orlando, FL at Walt Disney World and places 9th 3
- 2006-2007: TC Receives the trophy for Superior Tradition at the UCA Milwaukee camp; TC also qualified 8th out of 60 mascots for his third trip to the UCA Mascot National championship in Orlando, FL and finished 10th 4
- 2007-2008: TC receives the 4th place overall trophy at the UCA Mascot camp in Milwaukee, WI. TC qualified 4th in the nation with his video entry to the 2008 UCA Mascot National Championship in Orlando and will compete the weekend of January 12,2008 for a national championship. 5
TC's 2008 National Championship Qualification Video: 6
Besides athletic events TC can be found at many different events throughout the Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa area and around the state of Iowa. TC is also involved with many non-profit fund raising events and is available upon request for appearances through the UNI athletic department. 7
How the University of Northern Iowa Became Known as the Panthers
On September 8, 1931, the following appeal appeared in the student newspaper, the College Eye, under the headline "Contest Started for School Name":
"Who wants to be called Tutors, Pedagogues, and Teachers all the time? Every leading school in the country has some name by which they are known in the realm of sport. Iowa is known as the Hawkeyes, Minnesota as Gophers, Chicago as Maroons, and so forth. Why not give Iowa State Teachers College a name which signifies something characteristic AbOUT the school besides the fact that it is a teachers college?"
The article goes on to note that entries would be judged by a member of the Department Of Physical Education, other faculty, and students.
When the contest was announced, the Iowa State Teachers College had already been participating in intercollegiate athletics on a regular and organized basis for over thirty-five years. Teachers College teams had participated in contests with other Iowa colleges, and occasionally with teams from outside the state, in baseball, football, basketball, and track and field. Until the end of World War I, students certainly did get excited about these contests, but they probably took just as much pleasure in the success of the school's debate and oratorical teams. The school's sole mission, the preparation of teachers, tended to attract many more women than men to the Teachers College. And, consequently, the school did not have an abundance of material from which to draw its athletes in the days when only men participated in intercollegiate athletics. Following the war, however, the college made a distinct effort to attract men to the teaching profession. An important part of this effort was the addition of physical education courses to the curriculum that would help to prepare men for teaching positions that included athletics coaching responsibilities. Improved athletics facilities, including the construction of the West Gymnasium, showed that the school was taking a more serious attitude toward intercollegiate athletics.
On September 18, 1931, the College Eye announced that Paul Bender, acting head of the Department of Physical Education for Men; George Holmes, Professor of journalism; Robert Burley, president of the Student Council; and the sports editor of the College Eye would judge entries. The winner would receive a leather briefcase from the Berg [...] Company. Second place would be a dresser alarm clock from Chase Jewelry Store. Third place would be a season football pass.