History shows that the Wittenberg University Tiger mascot that we know today has not always been there.
In 1892, Wittenberg College (as it was known until 1960) took the football field for the first time. However, the players did so without an official mascot through the early 1940s. The teams at the University were instead known as the “Fighting Lutherans” or known by their colors, which were then Crimson and Cream.
The first time a Wittenberg College team was referred to as “Tigers” occurred on Sept. 29, 1921, when a newspaper issued the headline “Tigers of the West” over a picture of the football team. College President Rees Edgar Tulloss even insisted that the sports teams be referred to as the “Fighting Lutherans“ and not the 
“Tigers of the West“ in an announcement regarding the dedication of the new Wittenberg Stadium found in the sports pages of the Friday, Oct. 19, 1923 edition of the Springfield Daily News.
Until the early 1940s the term “Tigers” was used frequently in reference to the Wittenberg sports teams, but it still was not an official mascot. That all changed during the 1945-46 school year, when an art student named John Norris created a cartoon for the Wittenberg Torch, the student newspaper.
His cartoon depicted the life and times of Atom, the Wittenberg Tiger. Atom became a symbol of school spirit, and it was adopted as a mascot for the athletic teams. 
Atom later evolved into Ezry the Tiger and enjoyed many more years of popularity in the Torch. Ezry was named for Wittenberg’s founder and first President Ezra Keller.
Ezry became the icon that represented athletic spirit for the university, and so the Wittenberg mascot began appearing on the sidelines during games and popping up at other campus events. Starting in the mid-1950s, a student or community member appeared in a Tiger suit at many major sporting events each year. A different person would be selected as the mascot, and their identity would remain closely guarded until the basketball homecoming game, when they would be unmasked amidst applause.
At times a bit shabby, the mascot suit has gone through countless alterations and repairs. The newest mascot suit debuted at Homecoming 2011, complete with an in-suit cooling fan, and a student continues to wear it proudly as he/she graces the sidelines of Edwards-Maurer Field or the HPER Center, home to the majority of Wittenberg's varsity athletic teams.
In late 2010, Ezry also joined the digital revolution and started a Twitter account. Follow Ezry using the handle @EzryTheTiger and see what it's like to be a Tiger at Wittenberg.
Written By: Bryan Metzger '04
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