Athens -- There is a chance Uga VII will be laid to rest at Sanford Stadium before Georgia kicks off against Kentucky Saturday night. If so, however, it will not be a public ceremony.
"That's one of the options being considered," UGA sports communications director Claude Felton said Friday. "They could do it before the game. But whatever they do it's not going to be a public ceremony. We'll know more later."
In the meantime a process to select the mascot that will become Uga VIII from Uga VII's lineage of heirs will be initiated soon.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to kick off against Kentucky at 7:45 p.m. Saturday night. The gates at the stadium do not open to the general public until two hours before kickoff.
All of Georgia's mascots are interred in a mausoleum built into the southwest corner inside Sanford Stadium.
The latest in UGA's 54-year line of English bulldog mascots, "Uga VII's Loran's Best," passed away suddenly Thursday morning due to heart problems. He was only 4.
There will be no live mascot on the sidelines for the Kentucky game. Sonny Seiler, whose family has overseen the line of mascots since 1956, said an interim dog will be in place for the Nov. 28 game against Georgia Tech and the bowl game.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.