The University of Georgia announced the death of its former live bulldog mascot, Uga X, on Tuesday.
Uga X was “the most decorated of all the Bulldog mascots,” the athletic department said in a statement on social media.
“We are saddened to announce that Uga X, fondly known as Que, died peacefully in his sleep earlier this morning,” the statement said. “He compiled a football record of 91-18, presided over two SEC titles, the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoff national championships, and seven New Year’s Six bowl appearances.”
Who was Uga X?
Uga X was the 10th live bulldog mascot for the University of Georgia. His original name was Que, but he was given the name Uga X when he officially began his tenure as mascot in 2015.
He was born in 2013 and bred by the Seiler Family, who have bred the university’s mascots since 1956, according the University of Georgia Alumni’s website.
In 2019, the family of Ugas were ranked the greatest mascot in college football history by Sports Illustrated.
Uga X retired after the 2022 season. Uga XI, also known as Boom, took over for Que in the spring of 2023, according to The Associated Press.
Do universities hold funerals for live mascots?
A funeral for Que has yet to be announced, but each Uga before him is buried in a marble vault located outside Sanford Stadium, according to Sports Illustrated.
Georgia held a funeral for Que’s predecessor and grandfather Uga IX, or Russ, in 2015, according to the Augusta Chronicle. Russ died only a month after making an appearance at Que’s collaring ceremony.
In 2018, Texas A&M University held a livestreamed funeral outside the stadium for mascot Reveille VIII, who served as the mascot from 2008 to 2015, according to the university.
“As important as Reveille is to our sports tradition, she is much more than that,” then-university president Michael Young said. “She is representative of our Aggie spirit, she is a symbol of our unity, our loyalty, our support, our commitment and our engagement. The tradition is a wonderful part of what makes Texas A&M so special, and she represented that extraordinarily well.”
The Cleveland Browns held an open-casket funeral for their first live mascot Swagger, a bull mastiff, in 2020, according to Sports Illustrated. Cleveland.com livestreamed the funeral on Facebook.
How social media reacted to Uga X’s death
Several fans, including non-Georgia fans, paid respect to Uga X on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
Here are some of the best tributes: