It’s official. His name is Jack the Jackrabbit.

The mascot’s name was officially revealed Nov. 12 at the Jackrabbit Birthday Bash. To celebrate Jack’s 105th birthday, cake was served and there were photo opportunities with the birthday mascot himself.

Nearly 4,000 votes were cast in the Nameless No More contest, and Jack received 35.2 percent of the vote, winning the plurality and beating the names Dakota, Jack, JR, Jax, Stater and Briggs.

“I’m glad it’s now officially Jack,” said Matt Fuks, president of the SDSU Alumni Association, the organization that sponsored the contest. “We weren’t surprised. We expected it to be that way.”

Students weren’t surprised either. Many thought the name of the mascot was already Jack.

“I was surprised when I heard there was a contest. I couldn’t think of any other name it would be,” said Joel Ostraat, a senior computer science major. “I thought, “people are going to see [news of the naming announcement] online and laugh.’”

“I would have been disappointed if it had been anything but Jack,” said Cortney Wohkman, a sophomore nursing student.

“I don’t think [the contest] was necessary,” said 1996 alumnus Scott Waltman, who thought the mascot had a name.

Jacob Kaufman, a freshman math education major said he thought the purpose of a mascot is to support SDSU sports teams, regardless of what the name is.

“It wouldn’t have mattered what the name was [to me],” Kaufman said.

Becca Baustian said she “chuckled a little bit” when she first heard about the naming contest. She said her parents, both 1978 SDSU alumni, thought the mascot’s name was Jack.

“I didn’t see what the point of the contest was,” Baustian said.

Fuks said the name of the mascot may not be as obvious as some think.

“Although it might be clear to one group, it might not be clear to another,” Fuks said. “Over the years, there have been lots of assumptions about what his name has been.”

Fuks said that not long ago, some thought the mascot’s name was Jack State, while, in the 80s, Fuks said many just called him “the rabbit.”

“Who’s to say that 5-10 years from now they would have thought his name was something else?” Fuks said, adding that giving him an official name decided by voters was a historic opportunity.

“Really, at the end of the day, it was only right to let everyone have a say in it,” Fuks said. “Letting the stakeholders decide it only leads to greater legitimacy.”

The announcement was preceded by nearly a month long voting contest. Students, alumni and other SDSU stakeholders submitted 883 name suggestions between Oct. 4 and 17. From there, a committee comprised of students, alumni, faculty, university officials and members of the Brookings community selected the six final names that anyone could vote for online. Voting took place between Oct. 20 and Oct. 31.

#1.1782235:1684810819.png:Jack-the-Jackrabbit-Brigitte-Norby.png:Kate Wegehaupt, SA administrative assistant, celebrated Nov. 12 with Jack the Jackrabbit during his 105th birthday party. It was the culminating event to the Nameless No More campaign.:Collegian Photo by Brigitte Norby

The Nameless No More contest to name SDSU’s long-eared mascot moves forward as everyone can now vote for the top six name submissions as chosen by the contest committee.

Students, alumni and friends of SDSU from as far as Afghanistan submitted 883 names for SDSU’s jackrabbit mascot, and the top six names have been chosen.

The top six finalists for the SDSU Alumni Association’s Nameless No More contest to name the mascot are: Briggs, Dakota Jack, Jack, Jax, JR and Stater.

Anyone can vote for one of the six names by going to namelessnomore.questionpro.com. Voting runs from Oct. 20 through Oct. 31, and the winner will be announced at the Jackrabbit Birthday Bash, Nov. 12 in The Union.

Each finalist name had multiple submissions, and Jack had the most with 89. A winner will be chosen at random from the winning name’s submitters, and he or she will receive a $250 SDSU Bookstore gift card.

A committee comprised of students, alumni, faculty, university officials and members of the Brookings community selected the six finalist names. The names were chosen on the basis of marketability, gender neutrality, and regional or historic ties to SDSU and South Dakota. Names also had to work with “The Jackrabbit” added to the end of the name.

Matt Fuks, SDSU Alumni Association president and CEO, said the 883 submissions were “far more than we expected.”

“The interest level was way up for this,” he said.

Last spring’s similar contest that coined the Back The Jacks Fridays name only received a little over 100 submissions, Fuks said.

The university believes that naming the mascot offers many opportunities.

“Giving him a name that everyone can rally behind is going to endear the rabbit and SDSU, which is what it represents,” Fuks said. “There’s just really some great opportunities to promote the mascot and make him a part of the university and state as a whole.”

#1.1717765:3119004038.png:RabbitBumMobile-2-BW.png:The Nameless No More contest has narrowed the mascot names to six choices: Briggs, Jack, Jax, Stater, Dakota Jack and JR.:File Photo

The Jackrabbit. Jack. Jack Rabbit.

These names are commonly associated with SDSU’s bouncy, long-eared mascot. Nearly 105 years past its genesis, the jackrabbit has gone nameless.

The SDSU Alumni Association is about to change that.

The association is holding a naming contest for SDSU’s beloved mascot starting Oct. 4, with the submitter of the winning name receiving the prize of a $250 SDSU Bookstore gift card.

“There have been some assumptions about the rabbit’s name and now is the time to give him one officially,” said Matt Fuks, president and CEO of the SDSU Alumni Association. “It’s a unique and historic opportunity.”

Submissions can be made by emailing the name to alumni@statealum.com with the subject “name contest.” Entries must contain the submitter’s name and phone number.

A task force made up of a cross-section of SDSU stakeholders 8212; students, community members, faculty, athletic representatives, University Relations representatives and alumni 8212; will choose the top submissions by Oct. 18. Online voting on these top picks start Oct. 20 at a URL to be determined.

The winner will be announced at the mascots 105th birthday celebration on Nov. 12.

Fuks said having a name presents an opportunity for the university.

“There’s just really some great opportunities to promote the mascot and make him a part of the university and state as a whole,” Fuks said. “We just really think it will give him an identity and help bond him to the students, alumni and the state.”

For top consideration, name submission should:

• Fit with the format of [insert name] the Jackrabbit
• Have historical or regional ties.
• Be gender neutral
• Have marketability

#1.1655696:3937898097.jpg:SDSU?s mascot is seeking submissions of suggestions for a new name.:SDSU?s mascot is seeking submissions of suggestions for a new name. A prize will be awarded to the person who submits the winning name.:File Photo