Colonel Ebirt

{{short description|Unofficial school mascot for the College of William & Mary}}

{{Infobox College Mascot

| name = Colonel Ebirt

| image = Colonel Ebirt.jpg

| image_size = 200

| caption = Colonel Ebirt giving a 'thumbs up' prior to a Tribe football game.

| university = College of William & Mary

| conference = Colonial Athletic Association

| conference_short = CAA

| description = Green and Gold Frog

| name_origin = "Tribe" spelled backwards

| first_seen = 2001-2005

| related_mascots =

| official_website =

}}

Colonel Ebirt was the unofficial school mascot for the College of William & Mary from 2001 to 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.dogstreetjournal.com/story/2723|title=Colonel Ebirt is No More|publisher=DoG Street Journal|access-date=2008-07-24}} A green and gold frog that donned a tri-corner hat, Colonel Ebirt was originally used as a promotional tool for Colonial Williamsburg. It became involved with the College athletics program when someone from the William & Mary gymnastics program volunteered to wear the costume. "Ebirt" is an anadrome of Tribe, and "Colonel" comes from the school's historical and geographical ties to Williamsburg, Virginia, specifically that of Colonial Williamsburg.{{citation |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/wanted-william-and-mary-mascot-got-idea |title=Wanted: William and Mary mascot. Got an idea? |author=Ed Williams |journal=The Virginian-Pilot |date=June 22, 2009}}{{citation |url=https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070423/a_states23.art.htm |journal=USA Today |date=23 April 2007 |title=Williamsburg, Virginia}}

The athletic department decided to "retire" Ebirt upon the conclusion of the 2005–06 school year.Since Colonel Ebirt was never an official mascot, the term "retire" is used loosely. On April 6, 2010, William & Mary announced that a griffin was to become their official mascot, replacing Ebirt.