Evansville’s mascot is Ace Purple, who has the look of a turn-of-the-20 th -century riverboat gambler, as an allusion to Evansville’s location on the Ohio River.

In 1977, as Evansville made the move to Division I, the school’s new sports information director sought to bring some kind of mascot back to the university. He reached out to Keith Butz, who had ...

Mascot: Bucky the Buff, as in a buffalo, an animal that reaches around 9 feet in length and up to 2,000 pounds in weight. Trip to Evansville: 936 miles. Record: 29-4.