EDUCATION · HISTORICAL MARKER
The Legend of Corky the Hornet
Hutchinson, Kansas
· Emporia State University
Education
In the early 1930s, Kansas State Teachers College students were known as the "Yaps," a name they disliked. Coach Vic Trusler suggested to Cecil Carle of the Emporia Gazette that the team be called the "Yellow Jackets" because the men wore sweaters with black stripes on their sleeves, and the name later evolved to "Hornets" because of limited newspaper space. Corky the Hornet debuted in 1933 when sophomore Paul Edwards, later a 1937 BSE graduate, designed him for a campus-wide logo contest. Ray Maul, editor of ESU's student newspaper, printed Edwards' design in The Bulletin, and in 1936 Edwards altered Corky's appearance by removing two legs to make him more human-like, saying Corky could not dance with a girl or carry a football down the field with all those appendages. Edwards patented the Hornet, which has been modernized since its birth during the Depression. In 1995, Paul Edwards donated a walnut carving of Corky to the university, and it is displayed in the Memorial Union Bookstore as the model for the Corkys on Parade and the bronze Corky maquettes.
FIND IT
Hutchinson, Kansas
CITY · 10 STOPSExplore Hutchinson, Kansas
Hear every story as you drive
4.8 Stars · 800+ Ratings
© 2026 MainEngine