Dear Answer Girl,
Seeing that we are nowhere near a significant body of water, why are we the Buccaneers?
-Y. BucGreat question. I’ve often wondered this myself and have come up with a few theories on the matter:
1. The word “buccaneer” actually comes from the French boucanier, which is a person who uses a Brazilian grill for roasting meat (a boucan). This is an amazing coincidence, as you can’t help but notice the almost intrusive Brazilian influence all around us in East Tennessee.
ETSU administrators recognized this influence early on, and in an attempt to demonstrate the appropriate respect, they began the tradition of bringing out blue and gold painted boucans and roasted meat for Boucanier Day.
It was so popular with the students that they petitioned to change their mascot from the ETSU East Tennesseans to ETSU Boucaniers, because, as one student put it, “It is catchier.”
The administration agreed, but wisely decided to go with Buccaneers because of its simpler spelling and greater recognition.
Also, they could not decide on an appropriate logo for a Boucanier, while a Buccaneer was quite obvious.
2. When the university opened and the need for a mascot came up, Mrs. Buford Lewis Clarkson Hollory, who was a close friend of the then-Provost’s wife’s cousin and therefore quite influential, insisted upon being in charge of designing a logo and constructing a costume appropriate, as she put it, “for any kind of school pride kind of event that needs a character.”
Clarkson Hollory was actually Buccaneer-inspired by her experience in making pirate Halloween costumes for all seven of her sons, who had requested them for the previous three years running.
Rumor has it that the first mascot costume actually belonged to her oldest son who, at age 34, had finally outgrown it and was then forced to trick-or-treat as Bluto from Popeye.
3. Years ago, geologists and archaeologists happened upon an underground river running (underground) in the mountains of East Tennessee. The river, aptly named Pirate Creek, actually nears the university at one point, although it should not be confused with the gushing river running under the footbridge adjacent to the post office on campus.
Interestingly, though, Pirate Creek is thought to have once connected to the Atlantic Ocean through a number of twists and turns.
Even more interestingly, a real live buccaneer, Jean Paul LeBucque, is thought to have sought out this network of underground rivers as a safe place to bury his loot.
Of course, dear old Jean Paul was probably killed in the unexpected underground cave-in that now blocks the path to the Atlantic, but his image lives on at ETSU through our beloved mascot, Bucky.
Or maybe that should be LeBucquey.
Although all of these theories are quite ingenious and very plausible, indeed, only one was somewhat verified by my diligent research.
Check out Bucky’s bio at http://www.etsubucs.com/ for ETSU’s own version of the events that brought us into Buccaneer Land. (Hint: it’s a lot like number three…).
But, if you’re like me in your skepticism about the “convenient” name of our “supposed” Buccaneer, LeBucque, being just a touch too good to be true, feel perfectly free to join me in my daily worship for Mrs. Clarkson Hollory, who I honestly feel is the real Buccaneer Treasure.
Ha ha, Buccaneer Treasure. Get it?

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