Frisco ISD School Namesakes
History and Origin of the Frisco High School Mascot

The mascot originated in about 1924. As the students and staff discussed what the mascot should be, one of the students suggested that the mascot be named for his pet 'coon, and it stuck. The mascot is very clearly a raccoon, and 'coons was very much a colloquialism of the time. This unique mascot is a part of the recognized tradition and school pride that has been built in this community over the years. In March of 2002, the FISD Board of Trustees voted that the mascot officially be the full name raccoon and not its shortened version. It was felt that this keeps the traditions of the community intact, while also being sensitive to any concerns or the potential discomfort of current and future students. Their decision was based on one thing – that it was the right thing to do.

Our community also has another unique connection to the raccoon. The downtown water tower displays the logo that was for years used by the Frisco railroad. The city is named in honor of the railroad for which the town was founded.

The Frisco line logo originated in the late 1800s as a VP of the railroad company was making an inspection tour of the system. When he came to a station in Missouri, he saw a raccoon hide tacked on the depot to dry. The local station agent explained that he was trying to support a family and was supplementing his income by catching, tanning and selling these hides. The VP surprised the local agent by offering to and buying the hide.

Not long after, ink outlines of the tightly stretched raccoon hide began to appear on Frisco line drawing boards and it was turned horizontally. The words Frisco Line were inserted in the outline and that is how the corporate trademark was born. Although the words were shortened to Frisco, the 'coonskin logo remained the corporate fingerprint for over 80 years.

So, as you can see, the town has a very special relationship with this little critter.