This feels like a flashback to 2019.

You may remember "the Don" from that one time San Francisco made the NCAA tournament a few years back. Or, you might not remember him at all, since San Francisco plays small ball out in the West Coast Confere

nce.

Either way, he's dead now (at 92). Here's why, from the NYP:

A prominent California university is severing ties with its nearly century-old mascot, pulling the pin on a 92-year-old tradition following student backlash over colonial history.
The University of San Francisco announced Friday that "The Don" — a costumed figure sporting a pencil mustache and a green Spanish-style hat that has patrolled the sidelines since 1932 — will officially step aside at the start of the spring 2027 semester.
In his place, the college will introduce a wolf, though its athletic teams will still retain the traditional "Dons" nickname.

If they're gonna keep the "Dons" nickname, why don't they just go with this mascot 👇

The original character honored Don Francisco de Haro, the first mayor of Yerba Buena, the settlement that later became San Francisco.

"Don" is an honorific Spanish term meaning (roughly) "of noble origin."

This whole anti-the-Don thing started in 2022. That year, USF's student government passed a resolution demanding the Don's removal. They argued, of course, that the figure "symbolized the exploitation and subjugation of California's Indigenous people."

A petition gathered more than 400 signatures, and now here we are with "the Don" heading out.

I gotta give you more from the Post:

USF President Salvador Aceves framed the transition as a natural evolution for the university alongside newly appointed athletic director Brent Blaylock.
'With new leadership at USF and in Dons Athletics, we believe the time is right to revitalize our image and embrace a new mascot, one that is known for its intelligence, endurance and ability to work cooperatively in its pack,' Aceves said. 'At the same time, we will proudly remain the University of San Francisco Dons.'
Former student government vice president Ariana Anayat, who led the initial push four years ago, praised the outcome, saying she was 'elated' to see the long campaign finally come to fruition.

The Spanish nobleman is being replaced by the wolf, which is connected to the arms of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Expect that to be called racist or whatever at some point too.