Georgia takes mascot seriously

There will be an Uga VIII. Just who he is and when he arrives are the questions.

Uga VII, the latest in a 54-year line of English bulldog mascots to represent the University of Georgia, died suddenly of heart complications Thursday at his home in Savannah, Ga.

The dog was only 4 and had served as the school's mascot for less than two full football seasons. The team's record in his tenure -- the shortest in the history of the lineage -- was 16-7.

Because of the unexpected turn, there was no time for the Seiler family, the dogs' breeders and caretakers for more than 50 years, to come up with an interim mascot. So when the Bulldogs played Kentucky on Saturday, no live bulldog patrolled the sidelines for the first time since 1955.

The family of Frank "Sonny" Seiler of Savannah has overseen Georgia's mascots since he and his wife, Cecelia, were UGA students in 1956. Swann Seiler, their daughter and a member of the Georgia Athletic Association's executive board, said they should have an interim mascot in place in time for the Nov. 28 game against Georgia Tech. That dog more than likely also would represent the Bulldogs at a bowl game.

But it's not likely the family will designate the bulldog that will become Uga VIII until sometime after this year. They will take their time.

The lineage of the Georgia mascots is not something the Seilers or the university takes lightly. It is handled in much the same way as succession for the British throne.

That is, it is determined by male-preference genealogy and legitimate birth. Ultimately every mascot must be a direct descendant of his predecessor.

In the wake of Uga VII's death, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution penned fine sentiment for the Uga tradition, writing that he'd met not only Ugas III through VII but also Otto, a four-game replacement in 1986 when Uga IV injured himself falling off his hotel bed.

And as Otto went 3-1 as a pinch hitter, Bradley wrote, "I still remember what (coach) Vince Dooley said that year: 'We've got good depth at dog.' "

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