It’s one of the most common questions we get from newcomers and campus visitors alike: why does Gloversville have two mascots?
If you’ve ever walked through the doors of any of our five school buildings or stopped by a local game, you’ve probably noticed something unique to our community. Unlike most districts that cheer for just one mascot, our entire district proudly represents two: the Huskies and the Dragons (as highlighted in The Sunday Leader-Herald sports archives).
From our youngest scholars stepping into elementary school up through our high school seniors, this dual identity belongs to all of us. But how did Gloversville end up with two mascots in the first place?
The Husky Tradition
The Husky was Gloversville's original mascot, representing generations of local athletes in core sports like football and baseball (as detailed by sports historian Mike Hauser). For decades, the Husky stood as the primary emblem for our schools.
How the Dragons Arrived
That changed in the fall of 1950 thanks to Jack Kobuskie-a Gloversville graduate, World War II veteran, and physical education teacher who coached in our district for decades. At the time, football was the main sporting event in town, and the basketball team was struggling to build its own crowd and momentum.
Coach Kobuskie wanted to give his players a fresh start and their own identity. He went to Principal Arthur Ferguson with an idea: rebrand the basketball team as the "Red Dragons," named after Kobuskie’s college alma mater, Cortland State (as recorded in Bob Porter’s book Across the Fields of Yesterday).
He surprised the team with new warm-up suits featuring the Red Dragons name. The team immediately went on a winning streak, fans caught the excitement, and the new name stuck. Years later, when Kobuskie helped launch the boys' soccer program in 1970, the Dragon mascot naturally carried over to the field as well (as noted in The Sunday Leader-Herald).
Pride Across All Five Buildings
Coach Kobuskie spent 31 years teaching and coaching in Gloversville, working with more than 3,000 local students across our district.
Today, having two mascots isn't just a fun piece of local history-it’s a reminder of that legacy. Whether our scholars are wearing Husky gear or cheering for the Dragons, both names stand for the exact same thing: our pride in Gloversville across every single one of our five schools.