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Theories abound, but nobody knows for certain how the
Sagehen became our mascot. We do know that the sports teams
were called the Huns in the early 1900s. One tale attributes
the switch from Huns to Hens to a local newspaper typo that
somehow stuck. Another story has the College making the
convenient one-letter change due to the World War I fight
with Germany.
Ben Belletto, Pomona-Pitzer men’s tennis coach and sports
information director, is the latest to delve into the
mystery, with inconclusive results. He’s skeptical of the
typo story, in part because of the distance between “e” and
“u” on the keyboard.
To further confuse the issue, a search of the Los Angeles
Times historical database shows the Sagehen name is used
as early as 1911. A sample headline: “Tiger Skinned by
Pomona: Occidental Fine Doormat for Sage Hens.” The article
was written by Owen R. Bird. We’re not making this up.
Sometime in subsequent decades, the mascot became
personified as Cecil Sagehen. Cecil now shows up at major
events and football games, backed by the Pomona’s fight
song, “When Cecil Sagehen Chirps.” The lyrics, written in
the mid-1960s by a couple of members of the Pomona band,
include such immortal passages as: “We're gonna fracture the
foes of Pomona’s might / … We're gonna wail on their bods
for the blue and white!” and “Our foes are filled with dread
/ Whenever Cecil Sagehen flies overhead!"
More about our
bird
Learn About Other Pomona Traditions.
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