Meet the creator of UGA’s Hairy Dawg mascot

By James Hataway/UGA Today

Hairy Dawg was born in a basement, and he was delivered in a hurry.

Three weeks before Georgia’s showdown against Notre Dame in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, Tom Sapp BFA ’69 showed coach Vince Dooley some sketches for an idea he had. 

They depicted a broad-shouldered, tough-looking figure with a bulldog’s head, oversized paws, and a football player’s body. Dooley liked the idea and said Sapp could build the costume—but only if he could have it ready in time for the bowl game. 

With the help of his friend Mac Talmadge, Sapp turned his basement into a crash-course workshop, sewing and gluing late into the night until his creation was finally complete. 

Hairy trotted onto the field in New Orleans, where Georgia went on to win its second national championship, and a legend was born. Not bad for a mascot with a three-week gestation.

An Artist in the Making

Sapp’s journey began in Macon, though his childhood also included stints in Savannah. By the time he arrived in Athens in the late 1960s as a graphic design major, he was already passionate about art and illustration. He credits his professors and fellow students with fostering and helping him hone those skills. 

Tom Sapp’s early sketches of Hairy Dawg imagine him in the likenesses of the 1969 Football team members . Sapp created the Hairy Dawg mascot by designing and manufacturing it before the 1981 Sugar Bowl where he debuted in the game versus Notre Dame. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)Many of my best friends to this day came out of that group,” he says. “Our professors pushed us hard, and those lessons stuck with me throughout my career.”

Fresh out of UGA in 1969, Sapp joined McCann Erickson’s Atlanta office as an art director, working on major corporate accounts. His ability to both design and illustrate gave him an edge. Over the years, Sapp moved through other creative director roles at agencies large and small.

“Most art directors couldn’t really draw,” he says with a laugh. “But I could, and that opened a lot of doors.” 

The opportunity to design and build Hairy Dawg came suddenly, but some might argue that the creation of a new costumed mascot between the hedges was overdue. In the late 1970s, UGA’s official costumed mascot was “Fluffy,” a portly, gray bulldog that didn’t quite cut the intimidating figure to match the ferocity of the Bulldogs on the gridiron. 

The University of Florida, meanwhile, had unveiled a new gator mascot, prompting one of Sapp’s friends to suggest that Georgia needed a mascot that could stand toe-to-toe with “that damn gator.”

Sapp drew the sketches, got approval, and built the costume. Hairy was well received in New Orleans, and Sapp got a special invitation to see Hairy make his home-field debut at the next season’s opener. But when Hairy appeared, Sapp was underwhelmed. 

During a commercial break, though, he noticed children running down the steps of Sanford Stadium, and he craned his neck to see what was causing the commotion. It was Hairy. The children were flocking to him to give him a high five, to have their picture taken, or to ask for his autograph.

“The hair stood up on my arms,” Sapp says. “That was the moment I realized this was bigger than I imagined.”

From the Basement to the Big Leagues

Hairy Dawg’s success brought Sapp national attention. Michigan State called next, asking for a Spartan warrior now known as Sparty. The Kansas City Royals followed with a request for Sluggerrr the Lion. Soon, the requests poured in. By 1989, Sapp had launched Real Characters, Inc., a design studio specializing in mascots and brand characters.

Since then, Sapp has designed hundreds of mascots ranging from Rocky the Mountain Lion of the Denver Nuggets, to Harry the Hawk of the Atlanta Hawks, to Fumbles the College Football Hall of Fame’s goalpost-eared creature of indeterminate origin. His designs extend beyond sports, including the production of more than 6,000 Chick-fil-A cow costumes.

“What I brought from advertising was the discipline to listen,” Sapp says. “It’s never about me. It’s about the client … who they are, what history they want to honor, and how their fans connect. That’s how you create something that lasts.”

But even the most successful mascots need updates.

Hairy Dawg has undergone subtle refinements over the years. 

Early versions had limited mobility. Later iterations included a helmet-mounted head for more flexibility. Details like Hairy’s eyes, lips, and collar have been tweaked to keep the design fresh while preserving his essence.

Tom Sapp (left) and Mac Talmadge (right) introduce Hairy Dawg to legendary UGA head coach Vince Dooley.

Behind each creation is a team with diverse skills. At International Mascot Corporation—where Sapp serves as creative director and manager of manufacturing—sculptors, seamstresses, and painters bring characters to life. 

“I don’t build costumes myself anymore, but I supervise every step,” he says. “I’ll tell a sculptor, ‘This isn’t quite right. Adjust the chin. Reshape the eyes.’ 

“It goes back to what my painting teacher told me at Georgia: I’m not going to teach you to paint. I am going to teach you to see. That has served me more than any other tip I got in the business.” 

For Sapp, the real reward is the connection mascots create. 

“When you see your character embraced, when kids run to it for pictures or fans chant its name, that’s the payoff,” he says. “It means you captured something real.”

Even now, decades after that first Sugar Bowl debut, Sapp remains deeply tied to Hairy Dawg. 

“It all goes back to Georgia,” he says. “That’s where I learned the discipline, the creativity, and the joy of building something that connects with people.”