The Demon Deacon is the mascot of
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...
, a school located in
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, United States. Probably best known for its slightly unorthodox name and appearance, the Demon Deacon has become a mainstay in the world of
U.S. college mascots.
History
The early years and "The Old Gold & Black"
The origins of Wake Forest's mascot are distinctive, yet somewhat debated. As early as 1895, Wake Forest College (as it was called at the time) was using its colors in athletic competition. The school's literary magazine, ''The Wake Forest Student'', described them in this manner:
During the early part of the 20th century, these colors became more and more associated with the college. Since Wake Forest was founded as a
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
college, some historians have proposed an association with the
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
, but most people believe their adoption comes from the connection with the original
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
mascot.
The tiger mascot stayed with the school for a little more than two decades, but reports indicate that by the early 1920s, the college's nicknames were most commonly noted as the "Baptists", or "The Old Gold & Black".
Origin of the Demon Deacons name
The first few decades of the 20th century were particularly rough for the Wake Forest athletic squads, but in 1923,
Hank Garrity took the head
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
coaching jobs. His leadership gave the school a short relief from its early mediocrity when he led the football team to three consecutive winning seasons, and the basketball team compiled a 33-14 combined record in two seasons.
In 1923, the Wake Forest football team defeated rival Trinity (later renamed
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
). In the following issue of the school newspaper, the editor of the paper, Mayon Parker (1924 Wake Forest graduate), first referred to the team as "Demon Deacons", in recognition of what he called their "devilish" play and fighting spirit. Henry Belk, Wake Forest's news director, and Garrity liked the title and used it often, so the popularity of the term grew.
The name also refers to the Christian office of
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions.
Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
, again referring to Wake Forest's status as a Baptist university until the 1980s.
Mascot
The actual mascot made its first appearance in 1941. As the "Demon Deacon" terminology became more popular, Jack Baldwin (1943 Wake Forest graduate) became the first Deacon mascot.
Baldwin found an old
tuxedo
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...
and a
top hat
A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...
, and on the following Saturday, he led the Wake Forest football team onto the field, riding the North Carolina ram. Two years later, when Baldwin graduated, many interested students were willing to continue dressing up as the mascot. Initially, the responsibility to pick new Demon Deacons fell on Baldwin's
fraternity
A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...
, but later it broadened to include all students. Today, special tryouts are held annually for new Deacons, and the competition is very intense.
A number of years later the mascot continued to be the Demon Deacon, but the full body was designed after a fan and student named "Doc" Murphrey. If he wasn't going to become a star on the football field, he would become the biggest fan the school had ever seen. "We were playing against Carolina, and the fans started hollering, 'We want Murphrey. We want Murphrey.'
Peahead got tired of it and hollered, 'Murphrey, come here.' And I said, 'Coach, who do I go in for?' And he said, 'No damn body. They want you and I don't want you, so get up there with them.' I started right then and there being a cheerleader, not really a cheerleader, but just a guy who would get up when you needed somebody to rally the troops."
Memorable mascots
Over the years, the Deacon has performed numerous memorable stunts:
* Jimmy Devos (1955 Wake Forest graduate) shocked a Bowman Gray Stadium football crowd one afternoon by dropping his pants—only to reveal a pair of colorful Bermuda shorts.
* Ray Whitley (1957 Wake Forest graduate) introduced the art of goal-climbing to Wake Forest contests.
* Bill Shepherd (1960 Wake Forest graduate) answered
Auburn's war eagle cry with his own "turkey buzzard."
* Joe Hensley (1961 Wake Forest graduate) was the first Deacon to get on the roof of Wait Chapel to motivate the students during the football season.
* Hap Bulger (1965 Wake Forest graduate) gained notoriety as the stately "Debonair Deacon."
* Jeff Dobbs (1977 Wake Forest graduate), perhaps the most well-known Deacon, was a spirited and acrobatic dancer, who has returned on occasion to inspire Wake Forest crowds with his cheering and antics.
See also
*
Wake Forest Demon Deacons football
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represents Wake Forest University in the sport of American football. The Demon Deacons compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the At ...
*
Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represents Wake Forest University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Through the years, the program has produced many NBA players, among t ...
References
External links
Wake Forest Sports tradition page
{{ACC Mascots
Atlantic Coast Conference mascots
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Mascots introduced in 1941
Fictional Christian priests
Fictional American people
Devil mascots