George Tirebiter
[2] Another origin story was claimed by Dan Schiavone, president of the Trojan Knights, on the occasion of a memorial ceremony honoring Tirebiter on September 21, 1950.
Schiavone claimed that Tirebiter was a K-9 police dog that was discarded from the program and subsequently found as a stray on USC's campus.
He received the surname "Tirebiter" because he would bite at the tires of cars he chased down Trousdale Parkway, which bisects the campus.
He was pampered by the fraternities and sororities in USC's Greek community, routinely being carried back and forth from campus and being fed ice cream.
[7] In the wake of these events on September 29, 1948, the Trojan Knights decided that they would take responsibility for Tirebiter's housing, food, ownership, legal liability, and transportation.
Due to Tirebiter's loud barking and his proximity to classrooms, numerous professors complained about the noise and disruption he caused.
Eddy and George Prussell, former presidents of the Trojan Knights, conferred with Dean of Students Bernard L. Hyink to decide on a solution.
They decided to send him to the farm of Bill Hubbard, a Trojan alumnus, in El Centro, California, for the summer so that the dog could recover.
The ceremony was led by Schiavone and consisted of a parade of convertibles with black bunting, a marching band, and the student body.
Behind him were the Trojan Knights's proposed successor "George Jr.", who they claimed was Tirebiter I's son, and the Acacia fraternity's bulldog "Pythagoras."
A true mascot must have the complete backing of the entire student body in promoting school athletic spirit.
Floyd McCann, president of the Trovets, claimed, "We feel that Hector the Trojan Horse is a much more dignified and appropriate symbol of SC tradition than some dog.
George is facing Exposition Park and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: the home stadium for USC Trojans football.
The plaque on the statue reads:[20] George Tirebiter was a shaggy mutt who - for a few glorious years in the '40s and '50s - became a beloved Trojan mascot.
No one is quite sure when George wandered onto campus, but his feisty personality made him a student favorite as he chased cars and bit tires along University Avenue, not far from where you stand.
He was taken to football games in a limousine where he led the Trojan marching band onto the field, often wearing sweaters and odd little hats.
Rumor has it there is a transcript on file showing George with a GPA of 3.2 in such courses as Chasing Cats 101 and Biting Tires 270.
Of all the great USC mascots, none had the bite of George Tirebiter.The protagonist of the 1970 Firesign Theatre album Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers was named George Leroy Tirebiter, after the dog, and that album's movie-within-a-play, High School Madness featured a boy named Porgy Tirebiter.
