In 2006, George Mason University made the Final Four; but they also made an egregious mistake. That year, they decided to appoint a panel to replace Mason's lovable mascot: Gunston. What followed was an atrocity of the highest proportion. Gunston was unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from his rightful position as our school's mascot and replaced with "The Patriot". At best, the patriot is generic; at worst, he looks creepy. Since “The Patriot” has become our mascot we have not been back to the Final Four. Coincidence? I think not. In addition, mascots similar to Gunston, such as Gritty, have succeeded in the post-Gunston era. It is time for GMU to correct this wrong and replace the Patriot with Gunston once again!