Boom takes over as Georgia’s official mascot
Boom will be a little over a year old when he dons the famous Georgia “G” jersey and spiked collar and officially takes over as Uga XI today. Boom succeeds “Que,” who retired just shy of his 10th birthday at the end of last season. Though his age prevented him from making the long trip to Los Angeles for January’s College Football Playoff Championship game, Que was credited with overseeing two national championships and, with a 91-18 record, left as the Georgia mascot with the most wins all time.
There will be no “collaring ceremony” before tonight’s game, as the Bulldogs did that on Dooley Field before the G-Day spring game April 15 at Sanford Stadium. Just a 10-month-old puppy at the time, Boom’s youth was apparent as he rambunctiously pulled and chewed the lead held by his owner Charles Seiler.
While Boom is the 11th in the line of the Uga mascots bred by the Savannah-based Seiler family, he is Georgia’s 17th official mascot overall. Those began with an unnamed goat that wore a black coat emblazoned with red U.G. letters in 1892. Trilby, a solid white bull terrier, took over in 1894. Mr. Angel, Butch and Mike all were brindled English bulldogs who reigned as official mascots from 1944-55.
“Hood’s Ole Dan” became the first in the Uga line. He was a wedding gift to Cecelia Seiler from UGA law student Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler in 1956. So handsome was the all-white English bulldog that coach Wally Butts asked Sonny, who volunteered in the athletic department, to bring him to the sideline for that season’s football games. Thus, the Uga mascot tradition was born.
Seiler died Monday after a short illness. He was 90. His contributions to the University of Georgia, which included a lifetime of service on the boards of the athletic association, the UGA Alumni Association and the UGA Foundation, will be recognized before tonight’s game.
The Bulldogs also plan to memorialize the late Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy. Willock, a junior guard on the 2022 team, died in the Jan. 15 car crash that also took the life of LeCroy, the driver. Georgia’s offensive linemen are planning to recognize their fallen comrade in some way today. Whether they don’t know or are just trying to keep it a secret is unclear.
“We’re still trying to figure out what we want to do, but we definitely want to do something throughout the season,” sophomore Tate Ratledge said Wednesday. “He’s a big part of our offensive line’s ‘why’ and why we play the way we play.”
It’ll be hard to top what the Bulldogs did at the G-Day game in April. On the opening series, the No. 1 offense lined up without a player at left guard, where Willock played, and then took a timeout. The linemen also pay homage to Willock on the field daily by pointing to the ground with their index fingers and thumbs extended to form the number 77, which was Willock’s jersey number. There currently is not a No. 77 on Georgia’s 2023 roster.
