Saint Leo University

with the first junior college graduates earning their associate degrees in 1961. The monks managed both the junior college and the prep school from 1959 to 1964. The Saint Leo College Prep School athletic teams were known as the Lions, and their colors were purple and gold. The Saint Leo College teams were known as the Monarchs, using green and gold as colors. In 1999, the Saint Leo athletic teams re-adopted the Lions name.
In 2011, Saint Leo University created an anthropomorphic lion mascot named Fritz. The name was a reference to a series of Saint Bernard dogs bearing that name, all owned by Charles Mohr, who served as the first abbot of Saint Leo Abbey from 1902 to 1931.
The Benedictine sisters at Holy Name Monastery, its neighboring community, closed their Holy Name Academy in 1963 and assisted Saint Leo, which transitioned to a four-year program.
Saint Leo College conferred its first bachelor's degree on April 23, 1967, on 51 men and 13 women. The college was accredited by the Southern Educational Association …