Georgia promotes ‘Russ’ to Uga IX
Despite the brown patch on his back, "Russ" had the interim title removed from his name and will officially become Uga IX. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
After two stints as the University of Georgia’s interim mascot, “Russ” will be promoted to Uga IX, the school announced Thursday.
Georgia, in a news release, termed the removal of Russ’ interim tag a “battlefield promotion.”
A ceremony will be held before the Sept. 15 football game against Florida Atlantic to crown Russ, the 8-year-old half-brother of Uga VII, as next in Georgia’s continuous 56-year line of official English Bulldog mascots.
“Like many great and memorable Bulldogs, Russ has earned the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” UGA president Michael Adams said in a statement. “I am confident that he will represent the Bulldog Nation very well and continue the grand tradition of Ugas.”
Russ first served as interim mascot following the November 2009 death of Uga VII, filling in for the final two games of that season and the first six games of 2010. Georgia turned the job over to Uga VIII in the middle of the 2010 season but again called on Russ when illness sidelined the new mascot from the 2010 Liberty Bowl. After Uga VIII’s death in February 2011, Russ remained interim mascot for all of last season.
Georgia is 14-9 with Russ on the job.
“Russ has endeared himself to the Georgia people over the last three years,” UGA athletic director Greg McGarity said in a statement. “His dedication to duty when called upon has been exemplary, and it’s fitting that he takes his place in the official line of Georgia mascots.”
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244 comments Add your comment
@TossSweep
August 30th, 2012
5:36 pm
While you’re rolling, care to comment on how this is all Richt and Bobo’s fault?
Strange Murphy
August 30th, 2012
5:36 pm
GATA RUSS!!
WTG Russ
August 30th, 2012
5:37 pm
Happy to see the school finally accepting him. I feel like this was long overdue. Happy for you Russ you’ll be a damn fine dog.. =)
woof.. woof…
Eon Rodeo
August 30th, 2012
5:44 pm
What’s the over/under on how long ’til this one dies?
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 30th, 2012
5:51 pm
@UGA89
August 30th, 2012
5:15 pm
The NCAA and the NAACP# are pleased with our compliance with doggie affirmative action.
———————————————————————————————
Not TRUE. the NCAA was demanding a statement from UGa. The new Uga IX was supposed to be a FEMALE to celebrate 40 years of title IX.
Georgia Girl
August 30th, 2012
5:57 pm
I am very excited for Russ, It is time to move on to a new line of Uga’s. Its obvious that the past line has been inbreed so much that its time for a change. Go Russ or Uga as you will now be known. All the haters can kiss it, he deserves it!!!! GO DAWGS!!!
UGA'91
August 30th, 2012
5:58 pm
Twinkie, UK football fans aren’t known for killing stuff when they lose (thank God for that)! I think I saw Harvey Updyke hangin around UGA’s water bowl.
Russ the Permanent Mascot
August 30th, 2012
6:03 pm
Are they still gonna paint my a$$ white?
kingdaddy
August 30th, 2012
6:21 pm
Way to go Big Russ! GATA…
Mike Franklin
August 30th, 2012
6:28 pm
How Russ views this:
Red & Black – Red & Black – Red & Black – Red & Black – Red & Black – Red & Black – Red & Black – Red & Black – Red & Black
BURP!
Great meal… let’s play ball!
pb
August 30th, 2012
6:30 pm
@ Eon Rodeo:
No, this is the healthy one (so far) that filled in when the other two passed on. But he is not as “pure” as some Bulldog fans would like. He deserves his shot. Has been the “temporary” long enough…
KJ
August 30th, 2012
6:42 pm
LOL @ Seiler “generously providing services”. UGA has likely made him seven figures between charging thousands for his puppies, and promoting his law practice. There are only about a thousand bulldog breeders who would be champing at the bit to replace him, if he decided to stop being so “generous”.
June
August 30th, 2012
7:09 pm
Wonderful news!!!!!
Always loved you Russ!!!
gofortwo
August 30th, 2012
7:15 pm
Okay Russ/Uga IX. The pressure is on you. How about an unbeaten and National Championship season.
Coastal Dawg
August 30th, 2012
7:18 pm
That’s bad news for Russ! With what has happened to the UGAs, I would rather remain Interim.
Go Dawgs!
rs
August 30th, 2012
7:56 pm
So what if he has a brown patch??? Russ is a great DAWG!!!
Georgia Football: Russ Officially Promoted to Uga IX | Georgia Bulldogs Football
August 30th, 2012
8:33 pm
[...] served two terms as the interim mascot for the Bulldogs, UGA athletic director Greg McGarity announced the Bulldogs would make the move official Sept. 15 against Florida Atlantic (via the Atlanta [...]
Steve
August 30th, 2012
8:43 pm
I love it. Yes he has brown on his back. I get that. Give it a frickin’ rest already. Are we football fans or are we those pathetic folks that primp & preen and generally act like idiots at the dog shows?
Go UGA IX! You a DGD Russ. A real DGD.
Steve
August 30th, 2012
8:43 pm
oops .. left off the you ‘Are’
You are a DGD Russ. Sic’em.
MountainDawg
August 30th, 2012
9:23 pm
Congratulations to ol’ Russ (aka Uga 9)…another d@mn good Dawg!
techgirl
August 30th, 2012
10:15 pm
useless POS. the UGA bulldogs are pathetic, all they do is sit on ice all game. inbreds – kind of like UGA fans.
techgirl
August 30th, 2012
10:18 pm
And he’ll be dead within 2 years. Go Jackets.
kerryb
August 30th, 2012
10:27 pm
techgirl? That’s how you describe all of Tech’s players and fans.
kerryb
August 30th, 2012
10:28 pm
Having a Bulldawg as your mascot is WAY cooler than a bug you can kill with Raid or a fly swatter.
Stones Lover
August 30th, 2012
10:42 pm
Maybe Techgirl can get “little drummer boy” or “flag boy” to make a cameo appearance as Tech’s mascot…lmao
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 30th, 2012
11:17 pm
From UGa “RUSS Uga IX” will keep his 14-9 record going into his Reign as Uga IX.
Mobile Dawg
August 30th, 2012
11:41 pm
Russ is welcome on my porch anytime.
William
August 30th, 2012
11:42 pm
Congratulations Russ and all Georgia fans. Welcome Uga IX. GATA/Go Dawgs. Now let’s concentrate on playing football. We havs some Bulls coming Saturday and we need to make a statement.
Roadrunner
August 30th, 2012
11:47 pm
D@mn Good Dog!!!! You Go Russ!!!!
Roadrunner
August 30th, 2012
11:48 pm
And as a past “walk-on” myself, GO DAWG!!!!!
And UGA has a vet school?
August 31st, 2012
12:09 am
I gotta wonder what the over/under is on Russ. With the line breeding of this and previous UGA’s – it’s only a matter of time before the search for UGA X is on. There have to be other, better breeders and given the issues with Russ’s half brother (UGA VII), the question of was this really the best choice has to be asked.
I’d like to ask the Seiler’s why they have nothing better to offer and what type of genetic testing was done prior to the last few breedings – since UGA does have a vet school………..
Old Dawg
August 31st, 2012
7:47 am
Sad that craphounds from other schools gotta insult a dog…and then we have idiots that love a insect, love a chicken, love a reptile and then you have the school SW of Atlanta that can’t decide if they are a cat or a bird…so when you put on paper…we all love stupid mascots…unless you are a Tech Turd, in which case you are in high cotton and it doesn’t have anything to do with Mondays game, but….NERD NIRVAVA starts today….DRAGONCON…yikes attack of the dorks!
DaltonBrave
August 31st, 2012
8:05 am
How many mascots does this make now in a short period of time? Georgia needs to do a better job at taking care of their mascot (canines). I would venture to guess that PETA has made their disappointment be known to Georgia University on a few occasions in regards to their mascot(s).
What a Damn Joke
August 31st, 2012
8:09 am
This is Pathetic. The mascot should be all white. Its time to start looking for dogs elsewhere. The Siler Fam can GTH!!!!
gdawginkalamazoo
August 31st, 2012
8:20 am
That’s a Damn Good Dawg! Congrats Russ! Now get that win total up!
Raiderbeater
August 31st, 2012
8:26 am
I’m sorry to all the purists…..but to me UGA IX/Russ has a more “Junkyard Dawg” demeanor than the pure white bulldogs. He’s a full bred English Bulldog, and thats allthat matters.
The Masked Superstar
August 31st, 2012
8:29 am
Just like “Otto” in the 1980’s Russ has came off the bench and got the job done!
Dr Phil
August 31st, 2012
9:00 am
Adams’ finally accepts canine diversity.
Mike the Tiger
August 31st, 2012
9:03 am
Bring it, Russ
TruthAboutBulldogs
August 31st, 2012
9:19 am
If you care to know about the truth…
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/can-the-bulldog-be-saved.html?pagewanted=all
Brenda Bonnett, a consulting veterinary epidemiologist and a speaker at the conference, outlined the results of her study of Swedish dog-insurance data from 1995 to 2006. She told conference attendees that bulldogs are significantly more likely than other dogs to suffer from a wide range of health issues, including ear and eye problems, skin infections, respiratory issues, immunological and neurological problems and locomotor challenges. (Statistics released in 2010 by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals revealed that bulldogs have the highest rate of hip dysplasia of any breed.)
A few months after the Humane Society conference, The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published a study of breed-related causes of death in American dogs. Researchers found that bulldogs are the most likely to die from respiratory illness and the second-most likely to die from congenital disease.
Though there is no recent comprehensive study in this country comparing the life spans of different breeds, a 2010 British study published in The Journal of Small Animal Practice reported that the typical bulldog lives only slightly longer than six years. “The bulldog is unique for the sheer breadth of its health problems,” says Brian Adams, formerly the head of media-relations at M.S.P.C.A.-Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. “A typical breed will have one or two common problem areas. The bulldog has so many. When I first started working at Angell, the joke was that these dogs are a $5,000 check just waiting to happen. But the joke gets old fast, because many of these dogs are suffering.”
Don
August 31st, 2012
9:34 am
In 1894 our first Georgia mascot was a female pittbull named Trilby.. the next few mascots where brindled colored english bulldogs. I wish we introduced another taller learner and brindled colored back into the mix… Butch was a DGD.. sure not the UGA line… what about Mike.. he was a brindled bulldog that has a bronze statue outside of Memorial Hall. I think Russ will do fine.
zbulldawg
August 31st, 2012
10:29 am
LET THE BIG DAWG EAT !!!!
zbulldawg
August 31st, 2012
10:34 am
Russ is the Perfect JUNKYARD DAWG !!!!!!
fuzzybee
August 31st, 2012
2:52 pm
Hey Russ, is that a target on your butt?