Ranking The Best Mascots In Pittsburgh Sports
By Matt Gajtka
Aug 8, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates mascot mimics Miami Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich (right) during warm-ups before the Pirates host the Marlins at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
As this week’s snarky reaction to the Chicago Cubs’ cuddly new bear mascot should remind us, people will criticize anything.
There’s nothing separating “Clark” from any other cutesy character representing a sports team, but in a social media age, we have to hear everyone’s opinion on him, good or bad.
There’s one thing we can agree on, though: Pittsburgh has some some of the best* mascots out there. To my knowledge, the local teams have never had their kid-friendly proxies ranked on a reputable website such as this one.
(*Completely objective.)
So it’s with a pioneering spirit that City of Champions presents, in ascending order, the first-ever Pittsburgh Mascot Hierarchy. Sorry, no Furries allowed.
Honorable mentions: Point Park’s Black Diamond, Carnegie Mellon’s Scotty, Chatham’s Carson, Cal U’s Blaze the Vulcan, AMO the Riverhound, the Pierogies and – at the high school level – the Mars Planets and the Washington Little Prexies.
5. (tie) RoMo and the Duke
I really didn’t want to put these two stately gents higher on the list, considering that the schools they represent – Robert Morris and Duquesne – already struggle to get attention in the crowded Pittsburgh sports scene. Still, RoMo and the Duke (which sounds like a buddy comedy) are so similar it’s tough to separate them in my mind.
RoMo the Colonial (Photo: RMU Athletics)
RoMo the Colonial might have a slight edge if I really had to split them up. The name itself, which obviously draws from the school moniker, is a clever touch, and hearkening back to the American Revolution is always a plus. The Duke is more of a vague representation of Duquesne’s namesake, although the top hat is pretty killer.
The Duke stands atop the Bluff. (Photo: Duquesne Athletics)
In the end, they’re both anthropomorphic mascots who wear red and blue. Maybe if they can team up one day, they could challenge for the top spot. Until then, these two old-timey dudes will have to settle for also-ran status.