Traveler Trademark Doesn’t Suit USC

Traveler, the white horse that gallops across the Coliseum floor each time USC scores, has been lassoed into a legal tussle between a small horse ranch and the university.

Pat Saukko and her family said they have applied for a trademark on the mascot’s name, a legal right they believe they deserve because they have raised five generations of Travelers, providing both horse and rider for games since 1961.

The university has taken legal action to oppose the trademark, not wanting an outside party to have control over a name and image so closely linked with its football team.

As the case winds its way toward a possible courtroom showdown, Saukko says she has been saddened by having to quarrel with the school.

“This has been ours for so long,” she said of Traveler. “They are a university and they teach young people ethics. It’s not ethical to take something.”

A university counsel, Steve Yamaguchi, responded: “This is a legal issue that is being addressed through the proper legal channels and we hope to have it resolved soon.”

Before 1961, the football team had a variety of mascots, including George Tirebiter, a mutt famous for chasing cars across campus. For a while, there was another horse named Rockazar. By 1960, there was no mascot.

Then, a university executive contacted the Tournament of Roses Parades to ask about finding a white horse. Parade officials recommended the late Richard Saukko, who had Arabians on his ranch north of Los Angeles.

Saukko not only provided a horse but also put on a costume--a leather vest and helmet worn by Charlton Heston in “Ben Hur”--and began riding at games.

Over the years, he and Traveler appeared at scores of games, dozens of Rose Parades and many Rose Bowls.

“The number of athletes that we recruit who identify with the Trojan horse is amazing,” former USC Coach Ted Tollner said in 1985. “The kid could be from Iowa and the only time he’s seen it is on television. They know the horse.”

During all those years, the Saukkos also brought Traveler to horse shows, charity events, theme parks and various parades. At one point, Pat Saukko said, she mentioned to her husband that they should apply for a trademark.

It wasn’t until 1998--six years after Richard’s death--that she decided to file the necessary paperwork.

“I just wanted to formalize things,” she said. “I never dreamed there would be any opposition.”

But USC has a history of guarding its name and image. Though university officials ask the media not to refer to their school as “Southern Cal,” they continue to sell T-shirts inscribed with that phrase to protect their federal trademark rights.

Saukko said the university has not tried to stop her from taking Traveler V to any events. The only control the school has exerted is to require the rider to wear certain apparel at games.

And though Saukko has no plans to stop taking her horse to games--at least not yet--she is angered by the university’s opposition to her legal efforts.

“It’s very sad,” she said. “It’s sad because I never intended for any of this to happen.”