STETSON, Fla. – The Stetson Hatters made history last week, with the men’s basketball team clinching the university’s first bid to March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament.
Many people, however, are asking, “What the hell’s a hatter?”
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Believe it or not, the school’s nickname is connected to John B. Stetson, the maker of the well-known Stetson hats.
According to GoHatters.com, Steton’s athletics website, “the unlikely combination of a famous hat manufacturer and a university produced a novel nickname.”
In 1883, Henry DeLand founded the DeLand Academy, but three years later he was in financial straits, the website states.
Enter Stetson, who had a winter home in DeLand. At the request of Henry DeLand, Stetson became chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1889 and the university was renamed in his honor, the school said.
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GoHatters.com said Stetson University fielded the first football team in Florida in 1901, using the name “Hatter,” which is still used today.
Stetson sports dark green and white, colors that represent the trees and orange blossoms prevalent in Central Florida area, the school said.
The school’s mascot has used several looks over the decades, from a 10-gallon hat with big eyes and curled eyelashes to a leprechaun-looking Mad Hatter, which was rumored to have scared children so it was no used in public appearances.
In 2011, Stetson held a mascot challenge and had the public vote on 70 ideas submitted by alumni, students, faculty, staff and others.
On Jan. 20, 2012, John B. made his first public appearance, decked out with his signature Stetson hat, a green bandana and alligator skin boots. John B. was slimmed down a few years ago and remains a fixture at Stetson athletic competitions and other campus and community events.