The Hawk is the mascot of

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a Private university, private Jesuits, Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Jesuits, Society of J ...

. The Hawk is known for continually flapping its wings, even during halftime, throughout every basketball game. It is estimated the Hawk flaps about 3,500 times per game. This act is often associated with the University's motto, "The Hawk Will Never Die", which supposedly was first shouted by fans during a game with Villanova. The Hawk, who debuted in 1955, is one of the most decorated mascots in college sports. It has been named the best college mascot by ESPN College Basketball Magazine, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', and ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

''.

History

The idea for a Saint Joseph's mascot costumer came from Jim Brennan, a sophomore at the university in 1955, who was inspired by the Princeton tiger. He originally attempted to acquire a live hawk, before pivoting to a hawk costume. Brennan raised $80 from the student body and received an additional $40 from the university to purchase a hawk costume from a local shop. The mascot debuted on December 3, 1955, in a win against

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. Brennan later said, "When I was in costume, I didn't want to be just a fan watching the game. So I started flapping." He remained the Hawk for the duration of his time at Saint Joseph's, and other students continued the tradition once he graduated. As of 2024, over 60 students have worn the Hawk costume. In a game in 1998 against the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

mascot, Rhody the Ram, prevented the St. Joe's Hawk from his eternal flapping by putting an inner tube over its head. This temporarily immobilized his arms. While trying to remove the tube, the Hawk's costume head fell off. The incident was televised on ESPN.

Hawk selection

Hawk selection is an annual process in which a current student is selected to represent the school. The application process includes an interview and one-hour tryout in the suit. Since 1992, the student awarded the role of mascot has been recipient of an endowed scholarship and is considered a full member of the basketball team.

Awards

*Sports Illustrated Mascot of the 20th Century *Sporting News Mascot of the Year 2001The Sporting News - College Hoops : College Basketball The Best of
*"Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine in 2003-04

References

External links

Saint Joseph's University SiteSaint Joseph's University Official Athletics Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:The Hawk (Saint Joseph's University Mascot) Saint Joseph's Hawks Saint Joseph's University Atlantic 10 Conference mascots Fictional hawks Anthropomorphic birds Bird mascots Mascots introduced in 1956

History

Hawk selection

Awards

See also

References

External links