The Red Devil's New Clothes

The Red Devil’s New Costume

Photo by Carl Socolow '77.

Dickinson's Red Devil mascot costume gets an update

by Tony Moore

Every Dickinsonian probably knows the origin of the college’s Red Devil athletics mascot. But for the uninitiated, back in 1930, when Dickinson was a mere 147 years old, the football team held its own again the superior gridiron squad of George Washington University. The next day, impressed by the Dickinson team’s moxie, a writer from the Washington Public Ledger dubbed the team the "Red Devils." And let’s just say the rest is 89 years of history.

Now that history takes a step into a new chapter, as the Red Devil mascot, which you see come alive courtside in the Kline, on the sidelines at Biddle Field and cheering teams everywhere else across Dickinson’s athletics facilities, has received an updated costume.

The red devil mascot on Biddle Field

Photo by Carl Socolow '77.

Back in 1980, the Red Devil was established by the college itself as a (slightly sinister) humanlike entity, painted on the floor of the new Kline Center. Best guesses tell us that in the late 1980s, the athletics department unleashed an official mascot costume on sports fans that looked similar. But at some point in the 1990s, the image was softened, the face becoming more friendly cartoon than sinister underworld dweller. For years, the Red Devil mascot costume held onto the outdated sinister look, but now it has been updated to match the cartoon image.

Old Red Devil

The 1970s version of the Red Devil, formerly depicted on the Kline Center floor, sported a more human and slightly sinister look.

To see the freshly fashioned Red Devil mascot, students, staff and faculty can come to the SIDELINE Sports Stop Opening Celebration in the Kline Center, Friday, Sept. 6, from noon to 1 p.m. The hour will feature hors d’oeuvres, "Wearin’ the Red" raffle prizes (wear any Dickinson gear to be eligible) and photo ops with the Red Devil.

Learn more about Dickinson's athletics branding.

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Published September 6, 2019