The Free Academy was founded in 1847, but it wasn’t until 1934 that the college adopted an official mascot. However, sometime in the second half of the 19th century, the football team’s mascot of the newly renamed college became the Ichthyosaurus. The Ticker described the first embodiment of school spirit:

According to Webster’s dictionary the Ichthyosaurus is “a prehistoric marine reptile having a fish shaped body, porpoise-like snout, short neck and dorsal and caudal fins.” The mascot was supposed to be approximately thirty feet in length. Due to the difficulties in pronouncing its name and the ignorance of the public as to what it is, the Ichthyosaurus has long disappeared as a nickname for the school. (The Ticker, September 27, 1949, 7)