Rowdy Red premiered as Radford University's first mascot on December 9, 1981. On September 28, 1996, the Highlander was introduced as the new mascot at the first Highlanders Festival. The Highlander became the nickname for the athletic teams in 1979.
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Radford's current mascot, named the Highlander, was first adopted in the ‘70s for the Scottish-Irish heritage of Southwest Virginia. The school colors were changed from the original purple and gray to the tartan plaid colors of red, white, blue and green. A Highlander is a fearsome, strong, brawny and proud individual. It is a mascot that incites power and courage when you think of all he stands for.
The actual face of the Highlander has been changed three times. The previous Highlander had a costume that resembled a Viking.Â
Meet the Highlander
The new-look, third-generation Highlander mascot debuted at Homecoming 2006. Radford Athletics has conducted an up-close and personal interview and offers this 
revealing snapshot of some of Highlander III’s favorite things:
- Favorite movie  Braveheart
- Favorite color  plaid
- Favorite professional athlete  Dante Washington
- Favorite hobby  golf, caber toss (sometimes he gets them mixed up)
- Favorite tartan  MacFarlane
- Favorite play  Macbeth
- Favorite library  McConnell
- Favorite computer  MacIntosh
- Favorite holiday  Burns Night (Jan. 25)
- Favorite monster  Loch Ness
- Favorite actor  Sean Connery
- Favorite clown  Darlin’ MacFarlane
- Favorite comedian  Mike Ashley
- Favorite sports moment  Highlander rugby team wins national championship
- Favorite food  (tie) haggis and chrusties (eat separately, no less than six hours apart)
Mascots through the years
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