While the Hutto Hippos don't seem too frightening, think again. 

"I've come to find out they're vicious animals that kill natives all the time," said coach
Jim Walker.  "The word hippo comes from the African word meaning 'water horse.'

"They take their hippos pretty seriously around here." 

Hutto residents have been serious about hippos since the early 1900s, when the nickname
was born. The story is retold on a plaque in front of the school and in all game programs. 

Here's Walker's quick version: "A hippo came through here with a circus and it got loose.
It took all the local cowboys to round him up back into the circus cage. He was such a
vicious and ferocious animal they decided to name all the mascots in the community
around him."