If a student were to buy a Gibson Southern t-shirt nowadays, one would likely find the interlocking GS logo printed on it. The Titan Man also makes his appearances from time to time. However, this was not always the case. Throughout the early 80s and 90s the Looney Tunes character, Taz, was just as common of a sight as the Titan Man. The animated Tasmanian devil was a beacon for school spirit. However, as years went on, he was slowly forgotten and now remains in the memories of teachers and alumni who attended Gibson Southern at that time. Karen Stansberry, the former art teacher, was the one who started it all.
“When I started teaching, we bought one of those pressers that helps print t-shirts, and we decided to start some fundraising for some new drawing tables,” Stansberry said. “We had already been making t-shirts for the play and art club when we decided that we wanted to do something for basketball.”
The art classes brainstormed for a while until someone brought up the song “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys” by the Southern rock band 38 Special. Stansberry and her students wanted to come up with a fun design for the shirts, so they combined ‘Wild-Eyed Southern Boys’ and Taz.
“I remember hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and posters,” Gibson Southern principal Jon Adams said. “It was honestly everywhere. Like, if you see something today that has that interlocking GS logo like that, you would see Taz in that place.”
That next year, during the basketball Sectional, female students wanted a shirt fitting for them, not just guys. The art club took the female Taz, put a skirt on her, gave her a purse and put a bow in her hair and called it “Wild-Eyed Southern Gals.”
Taz ended up being a big hit at Gibson Southern. It was to the point where Stansberry had a hard time teaching class because there were so many orders the art class had to get in. Not only did they print Taz on t-shirts but they also printed him on sweatpants, handkerchiefs, durags and toddler clothes.
“Little kids just loved it,” said former Gibson Southern science teacher John Webber. “The kids just loved getting pictures with him and giving him high-fives, and I thought it was kind of cool. It was supposed to be the spirit, you know? It was popular for a long time, like after I retired.”
Sandy Mellis, the cheer coach at the time, ordered the Taz mascot costume.
“The principal at the time, Lee Gold, was willing to use funds to get us a mascot,” Mellis said. “So, we talked about some ideas, and the Titan at the time was just some guy in a skirt, and we didn’t think that could ever be a mascot. And, when they (the art class) had those shirts made with the Tasmanian devil on it, we decided to use that cartoon character and make him the number one Titan fan.”
Once that was established, Gold found a place in Indianapolis that custom-made mascot costumes. With lots of trial and error, the costume finally made its way to Gibson Southern. It was a full-body costume with a separate head, and that’s when things started to go downhill.
“Somebody told on us,” Stansberry said. “I don’t know where or who or what, but she [Mellis] got a cease and desist from Warner Brothers, [stating] that she could not use that costume.”
Even though the art club had to stop making Taz-themed clothes, he became the so-called “brand” of Gibson Southern during the 80s and early 90s. Webber explained that rather than Taz as the mascot of Gibson Southern, he was the spirit.
“Just like the University of Auburn are the Tigers, they also have War Eagle,” Webber said. “And, Taz is the spirit compared to the Titan. He is supposed to be the spirit of the team and the students and everything.”
These days, Taz is scarcely seen around Gibson Southern, and in his place, the interlocking GS logo is now printed on shirts as the brand of Gibson Southern.
“After the Titan man came into play, and when I came in as the athletic director, which was about 16 to 17 years ago, I noticed that there were a lot of different GSs used,” Adams said.
“There might be a block GS or a cursive GS, or there might be a different font GS. We decided that we were going to make one logo that all the different organizations and sports teams can use. So, we went back to the original GS block and now it is our brand. When people see that they know it means Gibson Southern.”
Though Taz has slowly been forgotten, and is virtually unknown, he still shines brightly in the memories of past students and teachers from Gibson Southern.
“When I see a Taz,” Adams said. “I automatically think of Gibson Southern.”
