A Legacy of Fur
Sophomore Bob Beatty wanted to continue his stint as a cheerleader for Carnegie Tech for the 1957 football season, but he couldn’t find a second male student to join him on the squad. No matter — the group decided it needed a mascot, and selected a Scottish terrier as the best option. Beatty enlisted friends who helped sew a black body and build a papier-mâché head, and Scotty made his first appearance on the sidelines for the 1957 football season.
Bob, unmasked, and his alter ego, Scotty, in 1958. Beatty’s career as Scotty didn’t end well — he was carried around the field by the Washington and Lee football team, which broke the dog’s head.
Beatty had the last laugh, though — during Spring Carnival in 2008, Scotty was named the official mascot of Carnegie Mellon.
Bob and Scotty lead the Kiltie Band in 2008.
Bob, in his original Carnegie Tech sweater, and his wife, Kathy, enjoy Spring Carnival the year Scotty was named CMU’s official mascot.