Mississippi State’s Bully – Big Dog on Campus

I started out with a feature on Super Bulldog Weekend, but while attending some events during the weekend, I got be around Tonka - Bully XXI at the MSU Fanfare on that Saturday morning ... His mannerisms and the way he interacted with kids and adults was very interesting. What stood out was the way he responded to his care taker ... The story is below.

He is the “Top Dog” on gameday at Mississippi State. No, it’s not football coach Sylvester Croom, but close. It may be new MSU President Foglesong? … nope. It’s Tonka, also known as Bully. He is one of the most popular icons for MSU. He is the school’s XXI bulldog to man the sidelines at State. He is in his fourth season as Bully.

Bully has seven counterparts across the Southeastern Conference as Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee all have live mascots as part of their tradition on campus. Auburn has a golden eagle named Tiger, who circles the stadium prior to home football games. UA in Fayetteville, Ark. features a Russian boar named Tusk I that is caged and carted around the campus and stadium on football Saturdays. The Red and Black in Georgia have the most famed live mascot in the nation in UGA. LSU sports a bengal tiger named Mike, who has a brand new habitat next door to Tiger Stadium. One of the intriguing things that LSU does with Mike the Tiger is that his cage is placed at the visitor’s entrance on to the field as an intimidation factor. Preceding kick off, he is provoked to make a giant roar heard over the public address system in the stadium. Tennessee just recently lost its live mascot, Smokey, to illness. They are in the process of searching for a new bluetick hound.

The former bulldog mascots lived in various dorms across campus, roamed the streets of MSU. But Tonka has the luxury of his own place with Lisa Chrestman and her family. Chrestman works with MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. She is responsible for getting him to and from events and the primary care taker of Tonka. So what does his gameday duties entail?

His day begins with a bath and getting his nails trimmed. Chrestman says it is similar to a visit to the beauty parlor and then his favorite part of the day takes place after he has received the royal treatment … a nap before he departs for the stadium. Bully and his entourage arrive at the stadium for homes games three hours prior to kickoff.

“His first duty at the stadium is taking pictures with fans at the fanfare for at least an hour,” said Chrestman. “Then it is on to the M-Club building to socialize with members of the M-Club.”

After the public appearances it is off to work for Tonka. Chrestman says that he knows when it is time to go to work. When she puts the harness on he’s ready for another tour of duty on the sidelines.

Some people believe that dogs can not recognize colors, but she has a different opinion on that theory.

“When he sees us wearing maroon he knows that it is gameday,” mentioned Chrestman.

Tonka is the first dog to be owned by the university. He first stepped foot on campus when he was nine week old. One of Chrestman’s first priorities with him was getting him acclimated to human contact and noise.

“Being able to start him at an early age was huge. I took him to band practice to get him adjusted to the noise level,” said Chrestman. I even took him to football practice once or twice.”

The future Bullys will come from Tonka’s bloodline. But she doesn’t foresee him giving up his title for a good while. He is in good shape and has zero health issues for being such an active dog. The high demand for his presence at certain events has caused Chrestman to cut back his public appearances.

HISTORY

Tonka falls in line with the rest of the dogs that have been ambassadors for the university. The origin of a live mascot dates back to the 1935 season. Head football coach Ralph Sasse brought to campus, Ptolemy, from Memphis, Tenn. as the first official mascot of MSU.

The dogs were given names by its owner, who usually donated the dogs to the school or they were given names by the student body. Bully IV was name BDog, which stood for Big Dog on Campus. Other names included VII Mr. Muggs, XI Joker, X Joker, XII Romeo and yes even XI Rebel.

There is a new commemorative monument honoring the former bulldogs that have walked the sidelines for MSU. The new structure includes a list of the names of the dogs and the years that they served as State’s official mascot. The idea of the monument came about this summer when Bully XIX – Humphrey. He was laid to rest near the flag pole at the north end of Davis Wade Stadium.

“We wanted to do something to commemorate the former dogs that have served as Bully,” said MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton. “The funding of the statue came from the athletic department.”

Informational Interview

Marty Parkes, the United States Golf Association's Senior Director of Communications, graciously took time out of his busy schedule to talk with me about his job and responsibilities with the goverening body of golf in the United States ... Below is the full transcript of the interview.

Tell me how you got started in this field

“There is not an exact science in getting in the business. I played a lot of amateur golf. I went to Trinity College where I got a BA in economics. I became a trained communication specialist and golf happened to be in the industry for me. We have a variety of people with many different backgrounds that work in the organization.”

What are the basic prerequisites for jobs in this field

“You have to be willing to learn, know the subject matter. Need good communication skills – written, speaking and the most important one is listening. We are a national governing body, so you have to listen from a variety of people. We are the eyes and ears of the USGA.”

What are the daily duties of the job or describe a typical day for you

“Most days are spent at USGA headquarters. I attend the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open each year. I try to get to the smaller events sometimes. I talk to others in the organization, I spend 25 percent reading about what’s going on in the golf world, 25 percent talking on the phone, writing press releases and drafting speeches.”

What part of this job do you find most challenging

“Managing the time is very challenging. I spend a great deal of time with people who report to me on a daily basis.”

What are the toughest problems you deal with

“When the media is focused on a negative of the USGA and the most frustrating problem is when the media has made up its mind on an issue and they will not listen to what you are presenting them from your viewpoint.”

What part of this job do you find most challenging

“Ensuring a smooth transition with technology. The way we send stuff out is totally different these days. It used to be mailed, then faxed. Now all we do is e-mail, put stuff on the web and use so much technology - Integrating Technology.

Does your career require a great deal of mobility

“It requires a lot of mobility. One, golf is a spread out sport. I travel to both Open tournaments and they are at different venues across the nation. I am very lucky to have a very understanding spouse and family because golf is played majority on weekends.”

What do you find most rewarding about this work

“I don’t know of another activity or sport that attracts the quality of people that golf does. Working with an association that has a great deal of values toward a sport and respect for the past.”

Where do you see yourself going in a few years

“I hope I am still here and that the USGA needs me to be around. This is my tenth year here and I find it very rewarding and challenging everyday.”

What trends do you see for this industry in the next 3 to 5 years

“There are many challenges with the golf industry from an economic standpoint. Golf takes up a lot of time to play and the cost of play. Time is in short supply. I see us trying to get more people learning the game of golf. Revenues from our television contracts and ticket sales amount to the financial return and investment back in to the game of golf.”

What experience, paid or volunteer, would you recommend?

“”Start wherever you can – at the regional, state or local levels. The USGA provides P.J. Boatwright internships on the state level. There are so many volunteer opportunities in golf. If you look in the sports page, you will find many local tournaments that need all kinds of volunteers. It is important to get out there to see if you like it because there is a lot of glamour from the outside.

How do I go about volunteering at the upcoming U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur held at Old Waverly in West Point, Miss.

“The guy that will be the media contact for that event is Ken Klavon, who is out internet coordinator. I will be glad to pass along your contact information to him with your interest in the event. We sometimes get in touch with the local colleges to see if there is anyone interested in helping out that week.”

What are some of your responsibilities at the events

“I am the main media contact at each championship. We have a representative at each event that is associated with the USGA. We have a media center set up at each event which is manned by the USGA.