Pistol Pete (New Mexico State University)

[5] Pistol Pete was disarmed in 2005 as part of a plan to rebrand the university on the national stage.

The costumed mascot seen at games also lost his six shooters and holster belt in favor of a lasso.

Popular T-shirts worn around campus featured the old Pistol Pete logo modified to show an oversized gun in his hand, with the slogan “Who Brings a Lasso to a Gunfight?” The decision was criticized by Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly during his "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" segment.

After one year the university revamped the cartoonish mascot in favor of a real student dressed in more traditional cowboy attire, carrying a holster belt and six shooters, and wearing a black cowboy hat.

In 2009, the Pistol Pete mascot was suspended for one game by the Western Athletic Conference for fighting with Utah State's mascot, Big Blue, during a 2009 WAC men's basketball tournament game.