ESF's New Mascot, Oakie, Meets the Public

01/22/2010

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry President Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr., introduced the College's new mascot, Oakie the acorn, Friday to 250 members of the College community who gathered in Bray Hall for the debut.

Oakie, who was chosen as the mascot by the ESF student body, will represent ESF's growing athletic program. The College's soccer, golf, cross-country and timber sports teams are known as the Mighty Oaks, a name linked to both ESF's deep roots in the field of forestry and one of the most identifiable landmarks on the ESF campus: the Robin Hood Oak. The stately oak was the first tree to be listed on the National Register of Historic Trees in the United States. The tree grew from an acorn obtained by an ESF professor who brought it back from England's Sherwood Forest around 1926. According to legend, the Major Oak sheltered Robin Hood and his men from their enemies.

ESF's athletic teams have, to this point, competed as club teams. But the College joined the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association this past fall and the soccer, golf and cross-country teams will begin an intercollegiate competition schedule in the fall.