The Hawk
The Saint Joseph's Hawk mascot has been flapping its wings for over half a century, having celebrated its golden anniversary in 2005-06. One of the most famous mascots in college sports, the Hawk is best known for staying in constant motion by flapping its wings throughout every basketball game and representing the Saint Joseph's motto, "The Hawk Will Never Die". The idea for the Hawk as a mascot was originated by Jim Brennan during the 1954-55 season. Brennan, an ex-Marine and SJU cheerleader, at first wanted to secure an actual hawk, but later switched to the costume idea. The student government raised the 120 dollars needed to buy the initial costume, which Brennan donned for three years. He made his debut as the Hawk on January 4, 1956, a 69-56 win over La Salle at the Palestra. Since then, and including this season, a total of 29 SJU students, have donned the costume. Sara Brennan in 2000-01 has been the only woman thus far to serve as the mascot. The Hawk has not missed a men's basketball game since that first season. In addition to the constant flapping, the Hawk is also recognized by its "flying" in figure eights around the court during timeouts. The constant motino, coupled with the scrappy play of the University's athletic teams, helped to spawn the school's familiar slogan "The Hawk Will Never Die!" A few years ago, ESPN used a "flap-o-meter" on the national telecast of a Saint Joseph's game to estimate that the Hawk flaps its wings 3,500 times during a regulation game. The Hawk is unique because it is one of the few mascots in the nation that travels to every game, and the student who holds the position gains a full scholarship. The student, who is selected through an interview process during the previous spring semester, also serves as a team manager for the men's basketball team and travels with the squad. The most decorated mascot in the country, The Hawk has garnered numerous accolades in its 50-year history. It has been selected as the nation's top mascot by The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Street & Smith's Basketball Yearbook and ESPN College Basketball magazine. Eastern Basketball tabbed The Hawk as the Atlantic 10 Conference's best mascot, while The Hawk won a "Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine in 2003-04. Saint Joseph's athletic teams have been recognized with the nickname "Hawks" since 1929. At that time, the school's yearbook editor, Charlie Dunn, initiated a contest among the student body for a symbol. More than 100 submissions were narrowed to two, with "Hawks" winning out over "Grenadiers" (World War I soldiers who specialized in tossing grenades) by a slim margin in the final vote. The winning suggestion was submitted by John Gallagher, Class of '31, who was a catcher on the Saint Joseph's baseball team. He won a sweater with a special Saint Joseph's monogram for selecting the winning name. According to the student annual, the name was appropriate because it typified "the fighting spirit of our crimson and gray athletes and it is suggestive of the aerial attack which has made our football team famous." Ironically, football was discontinued at Saint Joseph's following the 1939 season.
Junior Jim Miller will serve as The Hawk mascot for the 2006-07 season, becoming the 30th Saint Joseph's student to serve in the role. Miller has worked with the SJU basketball program for the past two years as a team manager. He will continue those duties on non-game days and also travel with the team. He will also make public appearances as the mascot at numerous functions, many of them for charitable organizations. Miller is very active in youth sports and has been a basketball official for both the PIAA and CYO for several years, while also working summer camps at his alma mater, Malvern Prep. A native of Broomall, PA, Miller is majoring in public administration at Saint Joseph's.
All-Time Hawk Mascots
Pierce Markley
Al Pastino
Charlie Wieners
Chuck Elsesser
Bill Berner
John Donnelly
Joe Cassidy
Joe Boyle
Ron Manion
Kevin Quirk
Randy Kiernan
Dennis Sheehan
Jim Boyle, Jr.
Frank Simone
Jim Scarano
Tony Duldulao
Chuck Sack
Dan Gallagher
Brian Kearns
Glenn "Trip" Whitaker
Bobby Gallagher
Pat McGrory
Joey "G" Gawarzewski
Sara Brennan
Steve Klarich
Chris Bertolino
Mike Tecce
Andrew Moral |
JIM MILLER