The Red Lion

A.K.A Phil 

The Red Lion was sketched for the first time on the afternoon of August 17, 1977 by a young undergraduate Geological Engineering student and Yearbook Editor named John Weston. 

Later that year, Weston was asked by the UMES Publications director to proofread the first year student handbook. The Publications director had also forgotten to do the cover art for the handbook and was out of Winnipeg at the time, making it impossible for him to return for the printing deadline. Weston was therefore asked to create the cover for the handbook and decided to use the lion he had sketched earlier that year. At this point however, it was actually a brown lion, and had no official colour. 

During that same year, the Faculty of Engineering was in a battle for funding with the University Administration, putting it in dire threat of losing accreditation. Dean Wedepohl, who was leading Engineering in the funding battle, borrowed the newly minted lion logo from the students to serve as a rallying symbol. The student body at this time was also very vocal in the funding fight and had in fact changed the lion’s colour to the red we know today. Red was chosen for its bright colour and symbolized the “red tape” the Faculty was facing at the time. 

In March of that year, the students and staff of Engineering celebrated victory in their funding battle. They painted the “Red Lion” on two large wooden signs, erected those signs in the Quadrangle facing the Administration Building, and held a large snowball fight. The idea for this came from the expression “If March comes in like a lamb, then it will go out like a Lion”. This event marked the turning point when the Red Lion ceased to be recognized as “that-thing-those-two-guys-drew-all-the- time-during-the-funding-fight” and became identified as the mascot of Engineering students at the University of Manitoba. 

Since its inception, the Red Lion has gone through various versions before arriving in its current form donning a hardhat, t-square and beer mug. In the fall of 1992, a poll of Engineering students was held and Red Lion was given its name, “Phil”. Today the Red Lion has become recognized both on Campus and across Canada as a symbol of the pride and determination of University of Manitoba Engineering students.