Before Uga, there was Mr. Angel.
This often-forgotten mascot in the University of Georgia’s history, who served from 1944 until 1946, is buried and memorialized at the Magnolia State Bank headquarters in Eastman.
Magnolia State Bank, then Bank of Eastman, built its current headquarters in 1967. Prior to acquiring the property, however, the lot belonged to Dr. Warren A. Coleman. Coleman was the owner of Mr. Angel, and when his daughter Marie Coleman Wilson attended UGA, they brought Mr. Angel along to football games to serve as mascot from 1944 until she graduated in 1946.
Since Mr. Angel’s tenure, UGA has had English bulldogs as their live mascot for more than 70 years, with Uga XII (Boomer) being the latest.
Compared to Uga, Mr. Angel was taller and more sleek, and he had a slightly longer snout and fewer facial folds. Mr. Angel had brindle markings, while Ugas are famously all white.