New mascot Bullt XVII to begin reign at Alabama game

Mr. and Mrs. Whitley Wilson of Eupora have donated the new bulldog, whose name is Lucky Be Happy, to replace Replica of Corker, who has served the university since October 1989 as Bully XVI.

The Wilsons are scheduled to present "Lucky" to the crowd immediately prior to the game.

Corker, who also was donated by the Wilsons, is stepping down this year because of persistent low grade health problems and intolerance for heat stress. He will retire to a quiet life with the Wilsons.

Two-year-old Lucky sports a noble heritage, with six champion sires in his bloodline. In 1983, his grand sire, Nelms Corker Bear, was listed by the American Kennel Club as 25th among the top 100 champion bulldogs in the U.S.

Last year, Lucky won Best of Winners in the bulldog class at the Mississippi Kennel Club Dog Show held in Jackson. Lucky currently has three of the required 15 show points to qualify him as a champion.

He is the half brother of the retiring Bully XVI.

Mississippi State's mascots are cared for by the College of Veterinary Medicine.

For more information on MSU's newest Bully, call Dr. Dan Cantwell, director of the College of Veterinary Medicine's Animal Health Center, at 325-1266.