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Owner of 'Uga' mascot dies

Uga's owner died at 80 years old after she suffered a long illness.
Credit: UGA
The University of Georgia logo.

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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - The woman who owned the University of Georgia lineage of "Uga" bulldog mascots has died.

UGA President Jere Morehead says Cecelia Seiler died on Thursday in Savannah. The Savannah Morning News reports that Seiler was 80 and died after a long illness.

Seiler, the wife of Frank "Sonny" Seiler, made a red t-shirt with a black 'G' to fit the couple's first bulldog puppy in 1956. Uga I was named the official mascot of the university shortly after, and the lineage has remained ever since. "Russ" now serves as Uga IX.

Former UGA football coach Vince Dooley says Seiler was the matriarch of the bulldog tradition.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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