In 1920, a group of PSU students organized themselves as the Gorillas, a twenties slang term for roughnecks, to promote school spirit. In 1925, the student body unanimously adopted the ferocious beast as the school mascot. The Gorilla, which affectionately became known as Gus, underwent numerous transformations over the years. In 1986, graphic artist Mike Hailey developed the current split-face Gorilla logo. PSU is the only university in the country with the gorilla as its mascot.