Unidentified man holding a husky dog, thought to be the first Huskie mascot.

Bio/Historical Note: Green and white were established as the official colors of U of S sports teams in 1909-1910, but the Huskies name did not appear at that time. Teams were generally referred to as “varsity” or “the green and white” when they played or appeared in media. The name “Huskies” began appearing in the 1930s, first in a September 1932 article in the StarPhoenix. Media caught onto the name and continued to use it; the name appeared in the 1932-1933 edition of The Greystone - the U of S yearbook at the time - along with a photo of the men’s hockey team in uniform with “Huskies” across the front. The origin of the Huskie name is unclear, but women’s teams were generally referred to as the “Huskiettes,” while men were the Huskies. On 15 Feb. 1946, The Sheaf printed a photo of an unidentified man holding a husky canine on campus, thought to be the first mascot. The husky appeared at various sports functions to lead the players onto the field and watch from the sidelines — on a leash. The late 1970s and early 1980s were the first time that the mascot appeared as a human dressed in costume. The women’s hockey team co-coach and trainer in the 1970s, Murray Gordon, began wearing a dog outfit and appearing at hockey games as “Hymie the Huskie.” Gordon also dressed up for football games and other campus events. The Huskie was generally accepted as the official mascot by this point, and appeared in 1980 on the men’s hockey team sweaters as a side profile of a dog’s head and neck. By the 1990s however, an outward-facing head of a dog appeared on all teams’ uniforms. The first official mascot costumes were created in the 1980s as well. A woman named Elva Finlay created a Huskies mascot costume in 1985 and restored a 1980 version of the costume that same year. The two new mascot costumes were worn by two university students, Lori Winter and Chris Mirwald, who attended U of S events and Huskie games. Today, the Huskies mascot is known as “Howler” and there are multiple people employed to dress in the Howler costume as the U of S mascot.

Posed indoor image of team members: Golts, B., Toth, J., Goldak, G., Harris, D., DuRussel, H., Donald S. Rawson, (coach), Siefert, H., Lepine, M., Lepine, A., Hayes, F., Horton, E.

Displays of gears and a cream separator in the interior of the Mechanical Car of the Better Farming Train.

Bio/Historical Note: From 1914 to 1922 a Better Farming Train (BFT) toured the province providing lectures and demonstrations and presenting exhibits on matters pertaining to agriculture. Funded by the Agricultural Instruction Act, equipped jointly by the Department of Agriculture and the College of Agriculture, and staffed by the University of Saskatchewan, the BFTs were operated free of charge by the railways. Consisting of between 14 to 17 cars they toured the province for several weeks each summer. During part of one summer two trains operated. The train was divided into five sections: Livestock; Field Husbandry; Boys and Girls; Household Science; Poultry; and Farm Mechanics. A converted flat car acted as a platform for the display and demonstration of the "well-selected" horses, cattle, sheep, swine and poultry. Each section usually contained a lecture car accompanied by one or more demonstration cars.

View from the top of the jump as a skier lands at the bottom; clubhouse at right.

Bio/Historical Note: The first ski jump on the east bank of the South Saskatchewan River was built in 1929-1930 by the Saskatoon Ski Club with permission of the university. It was located at "Devil's Dip" and inaugurated on 18 Jan.1930. However, during the same season a jumper broke his leg and the ski jump had to be closed since the university withdrew its permission. Already in the following winter a new, larger ski jumping hill with an approximately 18-meter high tower was erected a few hundred meters north at "Varsity Site". The first record there was 97 feet (29.5 m) by Dave Wood. In 1933 a clubhouse was added and in 1936 the hill, which was also called "Ski Jump Coulee", was reconstructed and enlarged with a 25 meter high tower. The hill was then used for a few decades and competitions there even attracted up to 2,500 spectators. Furthermore, alpine slopes, a ski lift and a toboggan run were added at the site. Though interest in ski jumping had already been decreasing, the ski jump was reconstructed in 1963, reorienting the outrun from the river onto the bank and thus making the hill smaller. However, in 1974 ski jumping operations stopped and in 1978 it was torn down. In 1971 the Jeux Canada Winter Games were held at Saskatoon and for that purpose a new winter sports facility was opened at Mount Blackstrap, which made the other facilities at Varsity Site unnecessary as well. Off the trail are the remnants of the jump’s footings and tow lift.

Posed indoor image of Bob Fuller holding a tennis racket.

Bio/Historical Note: Robert Arthur (Bob) Fuller was born in 1926 in Moosomin, Saskatchewan, and grew up in Regina. He earned a BA and an MA in Chemistry from the University of Saskatchewan. Fuller was an avid tennis player and was a member of the U of S tennis team. Later he earned a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation in 1955, he joined Johnson and Johnson Canada in Montreal as a research chemist, becoming vice-president of Research and Development in 1962. He had a distinguished career with Johnson and Johnson and was promoted to their worldwide operations in New Jersey in 1966 as vice president Research and Development. He held a number of senior management positions with a variety of Johnson and Johnson companies, completing his 30-year career as Corporate Vice President of Science and Technology. He retired in 1986. Fuller died in Toronto in 2012.

image of the Joe Griffiths Trophy for swimming excellence.

Bio/Historical Note: A newer Joe Griffiths Trophy was designed and created by sculptor Douglas Bentham; it was being awarded by 2016. The Joe Griffiths Trophy is awarded by the Saskatchewan Games; it goes to the district team showing the greatest percentage improvement from their final standing at the previous Games.

Members of the University of Saskatchewan swim team dressed in suits, white shirts and ties, B. Francis (1), R. Simpson (2), B. Davies (3).

Five former football Huskies stand by a dinner table at an Alumni Homecoming reunion dinner at the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel.

Action shot of a Huskies game at Griffiths Stadium. Fans in bleachers in background.

J.W.T. Spinks, University President, and Sid Buckwold, mayor of Saskatoon, walk across the field with three cheerleaders before the Huskies' opening game of the 1960 season.