Texas is truly a state for college football; Texas A&M Aggies, the Texas Longhorns, SMU Mustangs, the list goes on & on. And of course with every great team, you need to have a great mascot too. Well Texas has plenty of them but some of the best, in my opinion, are our furry canine friends. And there have been at least two in Texas college football history.

Let's start with the one we're most familiar:

Reveille of Texas A&M

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Yes the famed mascot for the Texas A&M Aggies is Reveille, aka the First Lady of Aggieland. While it's unknown on when she got to the campus, it IS known that she's been the mascot for the Aggies since January 1931. She was snuck onto the campus after being hit by a vehicle, so she was being cared for due to her injuries.

However after a bugle player played "Reveille" the next morning, the dog woke up and started barking and was quickly found out by campus staff. Obviously the school kept the dog & she became the mascot for the school as she lead the marching band onto the field.

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Sadly the original Reveille passed away on Jan. 18, 1944. But since then there have been many dogs that have been named after her to carry on the legacy.

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But she wasn't the first Texas dog mascot. That honor belongs to...

Pig Bellmont of the Texas Longhorns

The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast via YouTube
The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast via YouTube
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Before the Longhorns had Bevo, the famed cow who became their most known mascot, the UT Austin had Pig Bellmont, a tan & white terrier.

Pig was only 7 weeks old when he became introduced to the campus in 1914; and was named after the Longhorns center, Gus “Pig” Dittmar. Pig was the mascot for UT Austin until New Years Day of 1923 where he was sadly hit by a Model T and wasn't discovered until January 5th.

Pig was given a funeral and to this day, true fans know him as the ORIGINAL Texas Longhorn mascot.

The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast via YouTube
The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast via YouTube
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No matter how long these canine companions lasted as mascots (or indeed any other mascots that are dogs), one thing is for certain: it doesn't matter what team they rooted for... they will always be good dogs & we will never forget them.

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