Swoop is not the first mascot that is different from the actual mascot of the school. Utah is the Utes, but their mascot is a red hawk named Swoop. Swoop is a little strange-looking with the big hawk head and the almost human-looking body.
There are a lot of hawk mascots, but Swoop is better than most. He has a lot of style and since no one knows what a Ute really is, a hawk works well.