Laker Pride

When the college was originally established on the sight of Fort Brady as the Soo Branch of Michigan College of Mining and Technology, the school colors were silver and gold and the mascot was the hornet. Former athletic director, coach and administrator Jim Myers made a cutout of a large black & gold hornet that hung on the wall in the back of the gym. In 1970 when the school was given independence from MTU a new name, mascot and school colors where needed to distinguish the new school from its predecessor.

Ron “Bud” Cooper said he was on the committee that named LSSC. He recalled that the naming committee consisted of himself, Ray Chelberg, Franklin Otis, and Steve Youngs. They were required to make recommendations to Dr. Ken Shouldice, who was president of Soo Branch. The committee proposed the name of Lake Superior State College and, being near the Great Lakes, St. Mary’s River and the ships that move through the waterways daily, the mascot of Lakers. The committee also suggested the colors: blue for water and gold for the sun, and Dr. Shouldice agreed with the recommendation.

Asked years later, when he was the only surviving member of the naming committee, Bud said he always liked those colors together.

“I know this sounds like a made-up story, but that is the way it happened.”