March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 47 F

Two new mascots to be introduced at Navy-Air Force game on Saturday

Navy-Colgate-Sep-5-2015-29Plebe Summer may be over for the class of 2019, but plebe year for the Navy’s newest [live animal] mascots has just begun.

Bill the Goat XXXV and XXXVI will make their debut as Navy “mascots in training” when they join Bill XXXIII and XXXIV on the sidelines this Saturday at the sold-out Navy vs. Air Force football game at 3 p.m., at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

In keeping with Navy tradition, the newest Bills are both purebred, white male Angora goats, and they are 19-month-old twins. The goats were donated to the Academy by Navy fans James and Tracy Ross from Harper, Texas.

When they aren’t busy cheering the midshipmen to victory, the Navy goats live together at an undisclosed location in the Annapolis area, and have caretakers responsible for their well-being. The caretakers prep the goats for game days and keep the goats’ location discreet in order to ensure their safety from rivals, Air Force and Army. Now the caretakers also supervise the strict mascot training regimen created by plebe detailers Bill XXXIII and XXXIV, to professionally develop the new goats for the rigors of their new assignment.

“The newest mascots were chosen from a reputable Angora goat breeder and have proven to be quite friendly to Navy fans, while already showing a terrific hostility specifically towards West Point,” said one of the goats’ caretakers, who will remain anonymous for security reasons. “With the leadership, mentoring and guidance from XXXIII and XXXXIV, these goats will be ‘old and gnarly’ and ready for full-time Navy mascot duty in no time.”

Bill XXXIII and XXXIV are responsible for reporting back to academy officials on the status of the new goats’ transformation into Navy mascots and have recently reported that they fully expect both goats to successfully complete their training. According to the caretakers who have observed it, the most intense aspects of this training include: learning to interact with humans, learning to walk on a leash, getting bathed and groomed, and learning how to receive the goats’ favorite treat, peppermint candy.

Bill XXXIII and XXXIV have served as mascots since 2007. They will continue to serve as mascots until their training of Bill XXXV and XXXVI is complete and their retirement is approved.

For more information on the history of the Bill the Goat mascot, visit https://www.usna.edu/PAO/faq_pages/BilltheGoat.php.  For more information about the Naval Academy, visit www.usna.edu or their Facebook page.  For more information about tickets for future Navy sports events, visit http://www.navysports.com/.

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