Skip to main content

The Mascot

Thomas the Tiger

Thomas the Tiger

Doane's athletic teams are nicknamed the Tigers. Why the college selected this nickname in 1907 is a mystery. Speculation surrounds the story of Thomas Doane's (the college's founder) daughters who in 1887 created a triangular, orange and black flag. Since then, orange and black were adopted as the college's colors. Theory is that the Tiger most resembled these colors and was adopted as the mascot. The mascot's name? Thomas the Tiger, of course, after the founder.

The earliest reference found to date to reference student athletes as "Tigers" appears in the Crete Herald, November 8, 1895, Page 3.  - "...Kansas has a remarkably swift team and some of the timid ones are predicting that Doane will not score on them. But the "TIGERS" are not constructed on that plan."

The Doane Mascot Club

Founded in 2009, the Doane Mascot Club's goal is to promote school spirit and engagement on Doane's campus and in the community through the use of our mascot, Thomas the Tiger. The club is open to all students, faculty and staff who are either interested in being the mascot or simply serving on the club to help with coordination of mascot appearances, event ideas, and more.

Questions or comments? E-mail [email protected].