The Story of Vinnie the Vulture
All Libraries Posted: October 30th, 2024UCF’s mascot history is rich in folklore. Long before Knightro, there were official mascots of the university, like Sir Wins-a-lot, Puff, and Mack the Knight. But before that, there were some unofficial mascots that have gained a lot of attention. The most popular would be Citronaut but right along side him was (believe it or not) an actual turkey vulture.
Vincent “Vinnie” the Vulture first came about in 1969 as an alternative to Citronaut. Citronaut, a character comprised of an orange for a body with the head of an astronaut, wasn’t as beloved by students as he is today. During that time, turkey vultures were always present on campus and would circle the newly cleared land.
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