Wow. Can’t believe you’re already gone. Nine years. However, no mascot (or animal for that matter) lived a more fulfilling nine years than you.

Unfortunately (truth be told), I wasn’t always a Butler fan. There was a time when I followed a “General” with die-hard support. I knew of Butler but I didn’t TRULY know it. When that “General” retired, I was a man without a country. I loved college basketball but I didn’t have a team to support. Nevertheless, the school you guided started catching national attention. And the more they did, the more I watched them and learned about them. And the more I learned about them, the more I respected them. The more I respected them, the more I loved them. And the more I watched them, the more I saw you. It’s because of you, and the Butler Way, that I became a die-hard fan. Everything after that just seemed to come together in a way that I could have never imagined. Butler became national runners-up two straight years! Deservedly, you were at the forefront. No mascot has ever represented its team better than you. It wasn’t just that you were great at being a celebrity; it’s that you and the team were exactly alike. You both were an exact representation of the term “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight; it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.” Looks were deceiving. As small and as “cute” as you Bulldogs were you sure packed a powerful punch. You took everyone by surprise and you did something inconceivable. You turned the beloved stories of Hickory High School and Milan High School and turned them into a modern reality. Blue II, you were at the forefront of that. It was your precious face and bubbly personality that warmed the hearts of Americans nationwide and caused them to cheer Butler on. Butler became America’s team and you became America’s dog.

After a ten year absence, I finally returned to Hinkle Fieldhouse and witnessed you lead the Butler Bulldogs to an 83-50 walloping of Stanford on a nationally-televised stage. As Butler’s legend grew throughout that season, your appearances became more frequent. America could not get enough of you. Prior to my Butler fandom, I wasn’t a lover of the bulldog breed. But the more I saw you, the more I wanted a bulldog of my own. My dream, though, was to get to meet you in person like so many other people were getting the opportunity to do.

That dream was realized on January 19, 2013 (two days after my 24th birthday). Immediately following the buzzer-beating defeat of Gonzaga, I rushed down from my seat in section 26, row JJ, seat 40 and joined the fracas on the floor with my then-fiancé (current wife). It was there, moments later, that I finally got my opportunity. The picture to the left of this post is the evidence of this. I was so proud of that moment. You, more than any other Butler player or coach, were who I wanted to meet and have a picture with. Thank you so much for that opportunity.

I got to see you one final time on Senior Night 2013. That game against Xavier alone was my “bachelor party”. My groomsmen and I got to see you up close twice before the game: in the Health and Recreation Complex and in the Hinkle Fieldhouse hallway. It was such an honor to be there that night to see you walk off that Hinkle floor for the final time in the Changing of the Collar ceremony. Looking back on it now, I’m truly blessed that I got to be there.

As I tearfully close out this post, there are a few promises I’d like to make to you. I promise I will support the Butler Bulldogs through the good times and the bad until the day I die. I promise to uphold the principles of the Butler Way and instill them in my future children so that they’ll have all the tools to be successful in their lives. I promise to drive on up to Hinkle Fieldhouse and stop by your memorial every time I get the chance. And, finally, I promise to remember you and love you for all the memories and all the moments. Your legacy will never be forgotten.

Until we meet again,
Billy Davis (a.k.a.- Butler Bulldog Bill)
@BUBulldogBill