In the beginning, there was man and there was the serpent. 

No, wait, that's a different subject.

The Rattlers nickname dates back to the 1920s, but Rattler Man wasn't officially born until the 1990s, when St. Mary's student Robert "Bert" Arista sketched a saintly superhero — half-man, half-snake. As we approach his 20th anniversary, this is as good a time as any to celebrate the history of Rattler Man.

He's a Real Charmer — a Snake Charmer.

1960s: Rattler Man is an actual man with an actual rattler. St. Mary's student Don Ganter (CL '63) is known as the resident rattlesnake aficionado and even totes a live snake to events. Risky business? You bet.

Pow! Bam! Ka-boom!

Early 1990s: Robert Arista (B.A. '95), St. Mary's student and Rattler staff cartoonist, tells the first story of Rattler Man in the fall 1994 editions of the paper. It may be a comic strip, but it's heavy stuff: the reptilian super hero battles his nemesis Cascabel and defends the honor of his daughter, Virginia.

A Monster with a Heart of Gold.

Mid 1990s: Rattler Man begins lurking around campus, frightening people with his menacing, chupacabra-like appearance. He debuts during halftime of a basketball game to a rousing ovation.

Herpetology 101

Late 1990s: A new incarnation of Rattler Man surfaces. He is less scary (even children trust him!), but looks more like a cobra than a rattlesnake.

Smells Like Serpentine Spirit.

Early 2000s: Rattler Man gets a makeover. The mascot would serve St. Mary's faithfully for more than a decade, and by the end, he looked (and smelled) like it.

The (Rattler) Man of the Hour

2012: The new and improved Rattler Man makes his grand appearance. As part of a holistic re-branding of the mascot, he is now equal parts fun and menacing.