The University of San Francisco will retire its longstanding “Don” mascot and introduce a wolf, while keeping “Dons” as the team nickname. The Western Journal reported the announcement came Friday. The San Francisco Chronicle, as cited by the outlet, reported the new mascot is slated to debut at the start of the spring 2027 semester.
What’s changing—and what isn’t
The outgoing costumed character is depicted as a masked man with a pencil mustache wearing a green Spanish hat, according to the Western Journal. USF said it will remain the University of San Francisco Dons, but the on-field/arena mascot will switch to a wolf.
USF President Salvador Aceves said, “With new leadership at USF and in Dons Athletics, we believe the time is right to revitalize our image and embrace a new mascot, one that is known for its intelligence, endurance and ability to work cooperatively in its pack.” He added, “At the same time, we will proudly remain the University of San Francisco Dons,” as quoted by the Western Journal.
The push began in 2022
The Western Journal reported that USF’s student government passed a resolution in 2022 urging the university to drop the “Don,” arguing it evoked Spanish colonization over California’s Indigenous peoples. A petition drew more than 400 student signatures and called for a task force to recommend a new mascot by the 2024–25 academic year, the outlet said.
USF alumna Ariana Anayat, who led the 2022 effort as student government vice president, told the Western Journal she felt “elated” and “grateful to be a USF alum,” adding she was proud to see the school “empower students to shape their communities for the better.”
Reactions and next steps
The Western Journal noted some social media criticism, including one alumnus who wrote on Facebook that he opposed “this revision of the past,” citing other sports rebrands.
The Western Journal also reported the school plans to start phasing out references to Don Francisco de Haro—the first mayor of Yerba Buena before it became San Francisco, for whom “Don” was named—from the wider university. The New York Post reported that administrators plan to gather student and staff input on costume designs over the coming months, and characterized the move as “pulling the pin on a 92-year-old tradition.”
