For close to a century the University of San Francisco (USF) has warmly embraced "The Don" — a costumed figure sporting a pencil-thin mustache and a green Spanish-style hat who has roamed the sidelines in support of a host of sporting endeav
ors. Not anymore.
"The Don" has now been sent off into retirement and will officially step aside at the start of the spring 2027 semester, the NY Post reports, after opponents cited upsetting "colonial history" as their reason for the push to end the association.
A petition with barely 400 signatures demanding the change sparked the move.
In his place, the NY Post reports the college will introduce a wolf, though its athletic teams will still retain the traditional "Dons" nickname, thus ending a tradition that harkens back to 1932.
Variously described as "a masked man with a green Spanish-style hat and pencil mustache," the USF mascot's origins trace back to Don Francisco de Haro: the first mayor of Yerba Buena, which ultimately became San Francisco.
FILE: The Don prepares to throw a ball into the crowd during the University of San Francisco's quarterfinal game of the West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament against the Santa Clara Broncos at the Orleans Arena on March 4, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty)
The San Francisco Chronicle reports the "Don" image that's been integral to USF's athletics for nearly a century has "fallen out of favor in the modern world."
While "Don" is a Spanish honorific denoting noble origin, the Chronicle reports some students began to feel the phrase — and the figure it celebrates — shares too much in common with the history of Spanish colonization suffered by California's Indigenous people.
Now the Don will has been pushed aside to make way for a wolf sparking plenty of backlash.
Sounds like a lame April Fool’s joke but instead just another example of extremely weak university leadership. 400 signatures on a petition? 🤣@USFDonsAD and @DonsAthletics you’re an embarrassment.
— mike hiserman (@MikeHiserman) November 2, 2026
https://t.co/DTzSkZkh1t
this is weak. there wasn’t even that much outcry over the name. plus don san francisco was a fire mascot https://t.co/tyt7VjE77y pic.twitter.com/Jl2MM6dFRS
— santa clara electrical substation stan acct (@AmardeepMcFly) November 1, 2026
Once upon a time, for almost a century, USF had integrity and courage empowered by its history. But the 21st century version of the school? Cowardly faceless administrators:
— Dawns (formerly known as Dons) Hoops (@hilltop_hoops_) October 31, 2026
"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything" pic.twitter.com/JY78pgu1oM
In a statement issued Friday, USF President Salvador Aceves offered some context for the private Jesuit institution's new mascot choice.
"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," Aceves said.
"At the same time, we will proudly remain the University of San Francisco Dons."
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