Soon after UC Santa Cruz opened its doors in 1965, UCSC students observed the slow-moving, bright yellow banana slug in the Redwoods. Unlike more powerful, fierce college mascots, students thought the slug would be an ironic, cheeky  representative for their equally unique institution. Since the banana slug’s official adoption as university mascot in 1987, Sammy has represented UCSC with pride; ESPN named them one of the greatest college basketball mascots of all time.