Elon University Athletics

For 78 years, the Fightin' Christian served as the Elon College mascot and the visual identity of the school. It assumed physical form in the 1970s and was a presence in the emergence of Elon Athletics through the NAIA and NCAA ranks, cheering on Elon to multiple conference titles and four national championships. In 1999, the university retired the mascot identity and, in 2000, the Fightin' Christian was presented with a diploma from Elon.
 
The "Christians" identity was first used during the 1921 sports season, when Elon took on Guilford College in a big football game billed as the "Christians versus the Quakers." The term Fighting Christians was first used during the 1922-23 football season and became a customary name for the athletics teams, although it was never officially adopted by the college or its trustees. The Fightin' Christian mascot did not come into being until the early 1970s and became a beloved symbol for the Elon community.
 
Elon remained a member of the NAIA through 1993, and the mascot cheered on four national championship teams during that era. Through the department's transition to the NCAA Division II ranks, the mascot remained. When Elon announced a move to NCAA Division I in the late 1990s, the board of trustees found it to be the right time to retire the Fightin' Christian moniker and mascot, leading the way for the Elon Phoenix.