Everyone knows about mascots: those crazy people dressed up in weird costumes running around the stadium, getting the crowd into the game. But unlike Brutus Buckeye, some are unpopular, some are unloved and some don’t even know how they got their names.

The legend of Brutus Buckeye dates back to 1965, when an art student designed the first Brutus. According to the Ohio State Web site, the first Brutus looked like a bowling ball with legs. Brutus has evolved, however, and became so adored he was voted most popular mascot in the Capitol One Mascot Bowl.

Most people know a buckeye is dark brown nut from trees native to Ohio, but just to the west is a much stranger mascot nickname: the Hoosier.

When asked what a Hoosier was, Jason Miller, a fifth-year senior in family financial planning, had no clue.

“I think it’s just what people from Indiana call themselves.” Miller said. “I really have no idea, though.”

Several theories exist about Hoosiers. The most popular theory, according to Indiana University’s Web site, is that “Hoosier” refers to Indiana’s early residents. Poet James Whitcomb Riley describes a Hoosier as rough and ferocious, like a backwoodsman. Another theory is that a contractor named Samuel Hooser called his men “Hoosiers” and the name stuck for all Indiana residents.

Zach Alpern, a third-year OSU business student who formerly attended Indiana University, said most people just liked the sound of the name.

“There really wasn’t a mascot. It was just some guy running around with an IU flag,” Alpern said. “Everyone just liked to yell ‘Hoooo-sier.'”

Alpern said he prefers having a real mascot he knows something about.

“At least now I get to cheer for something real,” Alpern said.

The Buckeyes and Hoosiers have two of the more recognizable and quirky mascots in college sports, but stranger mascots abound. The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs take their name from a lizard native to Texas. The school has a frog horn locomotive that blows every time the team scores. ESPN named the Horned Frogs the most unique mascot in college football.

The Canisius College Golden Griffins are mythological creatures that have characteristics of an eagle and a lion. The Salukis, from Southern Illinois University, are named after the Egyptian word for “dog.” Their current mascot is properly nicknamed “King Tut II.”

Stetson University’s Hatters get their name from the school’s association with famous hat maker John B. Stetson. The name “Hatter” was first used in 1901 and has been in use ever since.

Other unusual mascots were inspired by the farm. The Purple Cows of William College in Massachusetts got their name from a popular humor magazine in 1907. The Thunder Chicken, from Albany, N.Y., intimidates the opposing team by playing the bagpipes.

The Evergreen State College Geoducks continue this strange list. A Geoduck is a large clam with a large tube that comes out of its shell; fittingly, the fans cheer, “Let it all hang out!”

And if you think being called a Buckeye or a Hoosier sounds bad, at least you are not an “Ichabod” from Washburn University, in Topeka, Kan., whose team names comes from Washburn’s founder, Ichabod Washburn.

While Indiana and OSU might not have the most traditional mascots, Miller said it could be worse.

“I’m glad we have a halfway-normal mascot and not some weird mascot like other schools,” he said. “Brutus is one of the best mascots in all of college sports and still not boring.”