I was at GMI from '90 to '94 (and I still have my PM bulldog as well!), so I can add a little anecdotal history here...
You may have noticed, but the General is based on the old-style hood ornament of the Mack heavy truck company. It seemed like the statue got painted once every day or two (sometimes more) for a variety of reasons, everything from "Unit" pride from one of the Unit groups in the underclassmen Residence Hall to advertising a weekend party at one of the fine fraternities. On rare occasions, he's even been set on fire (ususally involving a lot of TP).
Two major incidents happened to the General while I was in school...
In the summer of '90, he was run over and overturned by a Duece-and-a-half (i.e Army 2.5-ton, 6-wheeled truck) left abandoned in the old parking deck. We knew this because the truck had been left at the scene of the crime. He was later fixed up and remounted his sentinel position.
Sometime in late '92 or '93, things got out of hand during one of those late-night burnings when a couple of mattresses and a couch were added to the blaze (again, from evidence left behind). Unfortunately, while the many layers of paint would protect the concrete core from a paper fire, the intense heat and duration of a real fire weakened the concrete until it crumbled ala the Twin Towers. Our school was without a mascot for many months until Mack came through again and donated a new statue of their legendary bulldog in late '93 or early '94, but this time he was made of reinforced concrete and fiberglass. As I recall, it was a race to see who could be the first group to apply that first coat of spray paint!
...and he's been there ever since.