(WLTX) - Coastal Carolina's historic run in the College World Series has turned many in South Carolina--regardless of their usual sports allegiances--into Chanticleers fans.
But folks may wonder--what exactly is the mascot of the school they're now cheering for (especially since he seems to bear a passing resemblance to another popular bird mascot in the state)?
The Chanticleer (pronounced SHON-ti-clear) of Coastal Carolina University was always meant to be closely related to the University of South Carolina mascot. In the early 60's, an English professor at the school and his students pitched the Chanticleer as a different but similar rooster than the fighting Gamecock. When the school officially branched off from USC on July 1st, 1993, the school decided that Chauncey the Chanticleer had served them well, and remains their mascot to this day. Now you may have seen him, but still, what is a Chanticleer?
For that, we go all the way back to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, specifically the Nun's Priest Tale. Chaucer described the rooster perfectly. "For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in a church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold."
You can read the full back story and check out prior logos on Coastal Carolina University's site here.
