what is nc state mascot

The NC State Wolfpack is the mascot for North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack nickname was first mentioned in association with NC State athletics in 1921, when an anonymous letter-writer to the school newspaper suggested that some of the school’s football players were as “unruly as a pack of wolves.” That season, North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts became a charter member of the Southern Conference, and newspapers began referring to the team as “the Wolfpack” . The first mascot was possibly Wallace Whitfield Riddick, son of future NC State President Wallace Carl Riddick. Appearing in a photo with the 1899 baseball team and described as "mascot," Riddick would have been around 5 years old at the time. After Togo and Tige, it is likely that NC State didn’t have another live mascot for around 30 years. This would change in the 1940s with the addition of an actual wolf. The new mascot was a Timber Wolf named “State,” who would be NC State’s mascot for several years. In September 2010, a purebred Tamaskan dog became the new live mascot, "Tuffy". Tuffy II became the new mascot in June of 2016, and Tuffy III became the new live Wolfpack mascot in 2021. The current logos in use for the Wolfpack include the "Strutting Wolf" and a red block S with an inscribed N and C.