Loch the Lucky Laker

Loch the Lucky Laker served as Clayton State's first mascot. As legend has it, in 1977, two years after construction of the campus lake, a massive tremor was felt around campus. The community was in an uproar as to the cause of this unnerving event. Professors argued over whether it was a fault line moving or an underground volcano preparing to erupt. Shortly thereafter, sightings of a mysterious creature on campus were reported and continued throughout the years. It turned out that a massive block of ice partially uncovered during construction contained a prehistoric beast.
As luck would have it, in 1982, a young woman named Summer B. Free was able to befriend this creature named Loch and tame him enough so that he could coincide peacefully with students. Throughout the 80s, Loch continued to roam the campus, and many reported more pleasant interactions with him. During the early 1990s, as CSU entered the collegiate athletic arena, affection for this mysterious beast led to the inspiration for the school’s mascot, known then as Loch the Lucky Laker, designed by Bo Bolander (avid “Rowdy Crowd” supporter). The May 2, 1994 front page article of The Bent Tree even covered one notable student sighting of the creature.
By the early 2000s, the friendly, cheery appearance of the mascot changed to a more aggressive and competitive presence to coincide with the fierce nature of the athletic teams of CSU. “Lucky” was officially dropped and the mascot became known as Loch the Laker. The latest addition to the Loch mascot family arrived in 2012, with the color changing from green to the current orange and blue Loch adored by all. Historical study of the Loch Legend provided by S. Taylor