ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Allen High School Canary could soon soar to new heights if it can clinch Sports Illustrated's 2025 Best Mascot in America title.
But first the Canary needs to make it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament-style bracket.
In the current Sweet 16 round, the Canary is ahead of the canine Stormin’ Norman, a Pointer who finds himself in the middle of a cyclone, wielding a lightning bolt.
The rival mascot hails from Center Point-Urbana High School in Iowa. Stormin’ Norman leads the current face off by about 160 votes as of late Tuesday afternoon. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
Now that’s enough about the Midwestern rival.
Canary's history
The Allen Canary came to be as an ode to the school’s colors, according to the school’s website. When Allen’s main building opened in 1916, the school’s colors were yellow and blue.
For the sake of history, it’s worth noting the school wasn’t called William Allen until 1960. Before that, it was Allentown High School.
“The brave canary is known locally as the only bird to fly safely through a hurricane in its hope to beat perennial rival Bethlehem Area School District Liberty High’s Hurricanes.”William Allen High School website
Still, Allen’s mascot emerged before the school’s current name thanks to a group of students particularly interested in creating literary journals.
The school’s hues inspired the name of a student magazine, “The Canary and Blue,” which eventually spurred the creation of the winged mascot.
“The brave canary is known locally as the only bird to fly safely through a hurricane in its hope to beat perennial rival Bethlehem Area School District Liberty High’s Hurricanes,” according to the school’s website.
The Canary previously won the Sports Illustrated Pennsylvania mascot competition to enter the nationwide contest. In the two previous rounds, the Canary bested Mt. Pleasant Kilties of Rhode Island and Green Mountain Valley Gumbies of Vermont.
This is the third consecutive year that Sports Illustrated’s high school sports arm has held the competition, which is intended to create fan engagement. There are no prizes.
