ON THE COVER
MSU ’ s Bully XXII
At home in Meridian with superstar mascot Dak & the Martins
With college football season drawing near , perhaps the biggest celebrity in Meridian at the moment walks on four paws and likes playing tug of war over a bone .
Dak , owned by local residents Bruce and Julie Martin , ascended to superstar fame in the spring when he officially became Bully XXII , the English bulldog mascot of Mississippi State University .
Whether on the Starkville campus for Super Bulldog Weekend or at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian for commencement , Dak takes stardom in stride , patiently posing with MSU fans who flock to meet him , sometimes waiting through long lines for the chance for a selfie with the beloved mascot .
“ It has been busy , but a fun kind of busy . It ’ s what we love ,” Julie said of Dak ’ s new role as mascot . “ He brings so much joy to people . I mean , he really does .”
Dak is the newest in a long line of English Bulldogs who have served as Mississippi State ’ s official mascot dating back to 1935 when , as the legend goes , football coach Major Ralph Sasse acquired Ptolemy , nicknamed Tol , from a family in Memphis to represent his team .
With Tol on the sidelines , the team promptly defeated Alabama , according to Bully ’ s history on the university ’ s website , followed a few weeks later by a
20 • MERIDIAN LIFE