New Thunder Rolls into WT

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

Buffalo calf now in training as new live University mascot

CANYON, Texas — A special new Buff has joined the West Texas A&M University herd.

The WT Herdsmen have begun training Thunder XV—nicknamed “Doc”—while Thunder XIV continues his duties as the University’s live buffalo mascot.

“‘Mater,’ as we’ve nicknamed our current Thunder, is still a pretty sweet guy, but he weighs 1,340 pounds and is continuing to grow,” said Dr. Kelly Jones, clinical assistant professor of agriculture and adviser of the Herdsmen , Thunder’s student handlers. “At some point, it becomes a safety issue, so we put out feelers for any orphaned calves that we could adopt.”

Dr. Charles “Doc” Addington, a bison producer in Brownwood, offered one of his calves that had been abandoned by its mother, and the young calf—nicknamed both in honor of his previous owner and for a character in the Pixar film “Cars,” like its predecessor—arrived at the Thunder Lodge pen in late April.

Photo: "Doc," West Texas A&M University's future Thunder mascot, makes friends with students from Childress Independent School District.

“The plan is to let him grow over the next 12 to 18 months and slowly start phasing him in,” Jones said. “Bringing him to events while he’s young helps with his training, because he’s exposed to lots of people and noises.”

Thunder, one of only two live buffalo mascots in the United States, is run onto First United Field by the Herdsmen during WT football games at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium. He also makes a variety of other community appearances.

Photo:WT Herdsmen Sam Blanton, from left, Mia Encinias and Dalton Keener welcome "Doc," the future Thunder mascot, to campus.

WT’s first live mascots were purchased in 1922 from Col. Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight; the buffalo “Charlie” was mounted for posterity and donated to Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. The live mascot program was revived in the 1970s, when the Herdsmen were formed.

Today, the Herdsman organization is made up of 12 young men and women who serve as ambassadors for WT’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture and for the University at large.

Bolstering regional pride and campus spirit is in line with the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World .

That plan is fueled by the historic  One West  comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Top Photo: Mia Encinias, a senior animal science major from Edgewood, New Mexico, and member of the West Texas A&M University Herdsmen, pets "Doc," who was recently acquired by WT and is undergoing training to be the University's next live mascot, Thunder.

—WT—