After a long wait, the Indiana Hoosiers’ Bison mascot is officially back in Bloomington.
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On Tuesday morning, following a build-up that included four teaser promotional videos featuring cameos from football coach Curt Cignetti, men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries and multiple acting roles from senior associate athletic director Jeremy Gray, the Hoosiers made official what had been hinted at for the past week and a half.
Indiana’s announcement video drew from “Star Wars” and Michael Jordan’s iconic return to the NBA in 1995 to tell the story of the bison mascot’s origins and, eventually, confirm it would be returning.
Finally unleashed. 🦬
Welcome back home, @HoosiertheBison. pic.twitter.com/hMotSXeF0A
— Indiana Hoosiers (@IUHoosiers) May 27, 2025
According to the video’s brief history lesson, the bison — which used to roam the Bloomington area and is featured on the state’s seal — served as the university’s mascot from 1965 to 1969, before disappearing from usage.
The mascot didn’t leave Bloomington entirely though — the bison has long been the symbol of Nick’s English Hut, a local pub. As recently as December, the school’s student government passed a bill advocating for its official return.
Indiana’s announcement video said the mascot, named Hoosier, will make its official debut this fall. The reveal offered little detail as to the mascot’s costume, though a zoomed-out video of Hoosier peering over Memorial Stadium showed a bison head sporting a red shirt and candy-striped pants.
