ST. GEORGE — Dixie State University announced Monday that the institution is now the home of the Trailblazers, with Brooks the Bison as the new mascot.
“The Trailblazer identity is perfect for our university because it embodies the Dixie spirit that is rooted in the southern Utah pioneers’ legacy of hard work, perseverance and commitment to one another,” DSU President Richard B. Williams said in a statement.
Williams revealed the new mascot during a ceremony that kicked off the university’s 102nd annual D-Week.
“The Dixie community has been blazing trails for a long time, and now our university’s identity reflects this,” Williams said.
Trailblazers was selected as a top identity by 5,000 participants in an online survey and emerged as a clear favorite in more than 50 focus groups. The motivation to change the institutional nickname and athletic mascot from Red Storm and Big “D” the Bull, respectively, stemmed from the desire to establish a strong brand and identity for the university — one of six goals central to the institution’s strategic plan.
To accomplish this, Williams, Dixie State’s Identity Committee and Love Communications pored over a decade of research and sought community input via the online survey, interviews and focus groups.
The new identity is paired with the bison mascot because the beasts were America’s original trailblazers. Trails created as bison stampeded across the country were adopted by Native Americans and pioneers as hunting and warrior paths and assisted with the migration out West.
As for Brooks the Bison, he is named after Dixie’s original trailblazer, Samuel Brooks, who spent the night on the steps in front of St. George Stake Academy on the eve of its opening in 1911 to be the first person to pay the institution’s $10 tuition and secure student status.
“I am very excited for our new identity as it will allow current and former students and all of our fans to attach themselves to Dixie’s mascot again,” Jason Boothe, DSU director of athletics, said in the statement. “Throughout DSU’s history, we can find numerous trailblazers in the classroom, in the community and in athletics. The trailblazers that established this community, and thus, this institution paved the way for us to be here today.”