Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute was called VPI for short after its renaming in 1896. O.M. Stull, a student, wrote a fight song for a competition that featured the words "hoki, hoki, hoki." "Hoki" or "hokie" was a term of celebration such as "hurray." The unique word soon became a permanent fixture in Virginia Tech culture.
In the early 1900s, the "Gobbler" became a popular name for Virginia Tech's athletic mascot. Some believe the term refers to the way athletes "gobble" their food, while others credit football coach Branch Bocock with popularizing the term. In 1913 a live turkey was brought to a football game. By 1936, a costumed turkey joined the live turkey during football games.
In the 1960s, Mercer MacPherson, a member of the corps of cadets, raised money and purchased a turkey costume to help promote school spirit. The costume featured a turkey head with a human-size body and real turkey feathers for a tail. In 1962, MacPherson introduced the mascot costume on Thanksgiving Day during a game against Virginia Military Institute. In 1971 the "Gobbler" mascot costume became a long-necked bird.
The term "Gobbler" was phased out in the early 1980s, due to its potentially insulting meaning. A new name, the "Hokie Bird" gradually replaced the "Gobbler." The first costumed Hokie Bird emerged in 1982. According to the Virginia Tech website, today's mascot resembles a "maroon cardinal with a snood" and has won several national mascot competitions.
On September 27, 2007 "The Spirit of Tech" Hokie Bird statue, created by Ken Stockton, was dedicated to the past and present cheerleaders and mascots. It is located in the Squires Student Center, a landmark for tradition, celebration and daily student activity.