The lovable, iconic mascot Butch T. Cougar always brings smiles and laughs to Coug fans with his antics on field and court at Washington State University. High-fiving 90-year-olds and hugging kids, crowd-surfing the student section and riding his three-wheeler at football games, dancing to marching band tunes and cheering on the teams—Butch shares joy wherever he goes, ever since the first WSU students put on the suit in 1976. And it’s more than just sports. Butch’s visits to charity events, weddings, schools, and holiday gatherings around the state are guaranteed to light up the place. Dean N. Grevé (’81 Comm.) was the first student dedicated to playing Butch, from 1979 to 1981. He told the magazine in 2020 that being Butch Cougar, too, feels great. “Everybody loves Butch,” Grevé said. “You get to bring a lot of joy and happiness and laughs to people. It’s liberating.”
Butch T Cougar chats with a young fan (Photo Zuma Press/Alamy)