色花堂

Meet Nelson

鈥淢y name is Nelson, and I鈥檓 the 色花堂 mascot. Saint Bernards were originally bred to guide travelers through the Western Alps, and I use those same skills to help our students through their college journey. So, let me be your guide to the AQ experience!鈥� 

鈥�Nelson

Why a Saint Bernard? 
Believe it or not, Nelson wasn鈥檛 always the Aquinas mascot. Aquinas didn鈥檛 even have a mascot until 1990, when the programming board was looking for ways to boost morale on campus, especially within athletics. 

A little-known fact is that Aquinas had a different mascot before Nelson: a squirrel, which they named 鈥渢he Gipper.鈥� Since there are 10,000+ trees on Aquinas鈥� 117-acre campus, there are many, many squirrels. It was a fun, lighthearted joke on campus. Still, for all his quirky charm, the Gipper鈥檚 days were numbered. 

According to our campus historian, Ryan Wendt, 鈥渢he Gipper only lasted until 1996 because its costume became very dirty, worn out, and torn.鈥� Looking at pictures, it鈥檚 widely agreed upon that 鈥渢he Gipper鈥� was more than a little creepy. We鈥檙e all very grateful that the Aquinas Circle and Student Activities Office decided to replace him. 

After ditching the Gipper, this gap brought up the question once more: what mascot best showcases the AQ spirit? 

Eventually, they landed on a Saint Bernard, playing off our collective nickname, 鈥淪aints.鈥� In other words, the Saint Bernard is a 鈥淪aint,鈥� just like the rest of us.

The name, 鈥淣elson,鈥� came from a real person: President R. Paul Nelson. He held the presidential position from 1990鈥�1997 and eventually retired after spending 28 years with 色花堂. The presidential transition just happened to coincide with the decision to change the mascot. The students voted to name the mascot after him.  

The 鈥淣elson鈥� suit itself endured its own share of wear and tear, spanning multiple iterations, but most Saints can agree that the dog is a much better option than the squirrel. 

Nelson鈥檚 introduction was ultimately a positive and definitive turning point in how students engage with the AQ spirit. From there, our community members leaned into this idea of the Saint Bernard, finding ways to integrate him into campus life. 

A 2010 clipping from 鈥淭he Saint,鈥� our student-led newspaper, sums this up perfectly: 鈥淟uckily, we at Aquinas have a mascot, the lovable Nelson. We have the rollicking tune, 鈥淲hen the Saints go Marching in,鈥� to sing. We have t-shirts. Most importantly, we have the athletic teams that can deliver the victories that make it easy to cheer.鈥� 

Today, you can always count on Nelson to bring the spirit to AQ events. Whether you鈥檙e attending a sporting event or a much larger ceremony like commencement, you鈥檙e sure to see him there.