Seal (dog)

A 1951 photograph depicting Seal taking a break from his unofficial mascot duties. Reproduced from VIRGINIA Magazine.

Seal was the second of two unofficial canine mascots adopted by the University of Virginia's football team during the twentieth century. Upon his death in 1953, he was buried with much fanfare next to Beta in the University of Virginia Cemetery.

Life

Seal was a cross-eyed, black mongrel dog who first appeared on the campus of the University of Virginia in the late 1940's. His sleek fur coat earned him his name, with many often referring to him as the "Great Seal of Virginia."

Seal quickly became very involved in the daily activities of the university, sitting in the gymnasium while students registered and sleeping in classrooms during lectures. He was also a welcome guest at numerous graduation ceremonies over the years. Although he had no official home, Seal was fed by various individuals in the dining hall, dorms, and private apartments, with some restaurants even posting signs that clearly said “No dogs allowed except Seal.” He was often found in the home of Dr. Charles Frankel, a longtime football team doctor.

Funeral procession for Seal marching towards the UVA Cemetery. Reproduced from VIRGINIA Magazine.

Students mourning the death of Seal in 1953. Reproduced from VIRGINIA Magazine.

On one occasion, Seal broke his leg but managed to hobble to the University Hospital, where the doctors admitted him and set his leg. One of the most famous stories surrounding Seal occurred in 1949, when he traveled with the UVA football team to an away game at the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout the game, Seal wore a blue blanket with a large orange "V." At one point during half-time, he sauntered across the field from the 50-yard line to the home team's sideline and, with around 80,000 people watching, urinated on a megaphone belonging to a Pittsburgh cheerleader. Virginia went on to win its seventh straight game of the season, 26-14, while Seal was given the nickname "Caninus Megaphonus Pennsylvanus" by the UVA community.

In 1953, when he was around ten years old, Seal became very ill while suffering from an internal rupture. A local veterinarian, Dr. W.B. White, thus put him down on December 11 of that year. Approximately 1,500 people joined the funeral procession from the University Hospital to the University Cemetery, with campus flags flying at half-staff and students (led by Grice Whiteley, the captain of the boxing team) arranging for a casket, hearse, pallbearers, and even a police escort. At Seal's eulogy, Frankel said, “I can see Seal now, leading the parade in a celestial stadium lined with giant oak trees, golden hydrants and gilded megaphones at his disposal.… In true Jeffersonian tradition, Seal came from an obscure and questionable beginning, and rose to the highest place of esteem at the University.” Seal was subsequently laid to rest in the University of Virginia Cemetery beside Beta, the other former canine mascot of the university.