Did you know that the mascot at Cincinnati State is called the “Surge”?  Why is that?  And what exactly is a “surge”?

Before the college became a community college in 1994, our mascot was the Tigers.  The school’s colors at that time were blue and gold.

This picture shows the early mascot for Cincinnati Technical College, which was a Tiger. At that time, the team colors were blue and gold.

In 1994, when the college when broadened its scope from technical to community education, it changed everything – name, nickname, colors, etc. The Tigers gave way to the Surge, and the blue and gold were made over by green and white.

Initially, the students and faculty had chosen the Green Dragons as the mascot, but when it was discovered that this term had a negative meaning, that idea was dropped.  For more information on that decision, check out this article from the archives: Cincinnati Enquirer – Sept. 13, 1994.

According to John Buttelwerth, a faculty member at Cincinnati State who came up with the Surge mascot, he wanted to get away from animals or nouns and use a hi-tech word that invoked a concept like the Fighting Irish.  As for what a “Surge” looks like, here’s a few photos from over the years.

Cincinnati State Mascot – unknown date

Cincinnati State Surge Mascot – 2010

Cincinnati State Surge Mascot – 2014

So aren’t you proud to be part of the Cincinnati State Surge?  Let’s Go SURGE!