Ahmet Baygal-Berk Barlak-Berk Esi

The Story of Jumbo

The Story of Jumbo• In a vote organized by

the National Directory of College Athletics, the Tufts Jumbos are ranked among the Top 25 College Nicknames. It placed 18th, wedged between the Gorillas of Pittsburgh State and the Nanooks of Alaska-Fairbanks, but far behind the first-place Banana Slugs of California-Santa Cruz.

The Story of Jumbo

• However, in 1882 the Zoo sold him for $10,000 to Barnum. Jumbo's sale caused a great uproar throughout England, with Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales among many expressing. Despite attempts to block the sale, the ever-resourceful Barnum managed to secure his elephant.

The Story of Jumbo

• In 1949, Jumbo's place at Tufts was threatened by the University of Bridgeport, who also wanted to claim the enormous pachyderm for its own mascot because Bridgeport had been home to Barnum and his circus. This challenge was based on the grounds that Barnum owned only half of Jumbo (with Bailey owning the other half ), and he could only bequeath his half of the elephant to Tufts.