2024 hasn’t been a touchdown year for the Wake Forest football squad. They ended the season with a 4-8 record and two wins in the ACC. The Demon Deacons had it rough at home with a record of 1–6 and a four-game losing streak to close the season. However, even in the darkest of times, one guy never fails to show up with all the right spirits and a slightly oversized top hat.
And that is none other than the Demon Deacon mascot.
What Is the Wake Forest Mascot?
The Demon Deacon mascot is more than just a guy in a costume. He’s tradition on two legs, or sometimes a unicycle, and is the soul of Wake Forest’s fight. So, how did this mascot come to be?
It all started in 1922. Wake Forest was trying to get past a rough athletic season, and new coach Hank Garrity, Sr. was brought in to inject some life into the program. Of course, he brought in the wins and a whole lot of school spirit. At that time, the teams had a different name!
The Wake Forest teams went by “the Baptists” or the “Old Gold and Black,” but that wasn’t cutting it. That’s when a student journalist, Mayor Parker, decided the school needed a nickname with a little bite. After a brilliant win over Trinity, or as it is now called, Duke, Parker decided to coin the phrase Demon Deacons.
That is a catchy alliteration and an ode to Wake Forest’s Baptist roots. A little holy and a little hellfire. The name stuck like cleats in turf. By 1941, Wake had its first costumed mascot. That year, student Jack Baldwin threw on a top hat, tails, and an umbrella and went into the field on the back of a ram.
Baldwin didn’t just dress up that day; he created a legend. And every Demon Deacon that followed added their spin. In the ’50s, Jim DeVos and Ray Whitley turned goalposts into jungle gyms. In the ’60s, Bill Shepherd brought full clown energy and even went on to taunt the Auburn fans with “Turkey Buzzard.”
And let’s not forget the Hap Bulger in the mid-’60s, who rode a unicycle and regularly lost his hat while chasing rival mascots. The man was a menace. But a beloved one. And just like the Wake Pride, it had a new name and mascot.
Why Was the Wake Forest Mascot a Deacon?
But why would a college choose a Deacon? Why the churchy vibe for a college mascot? Well, it started with the school’s Baptist background. Wake Forest University’s Baptist roots go back to the 1800s when Samuel and Sarah Wait journeyed across North Carolina with a dream.
It is a dream to build a new generation of educated ministers. While Samuel preached tirelessly across the state, Sarah supported their mission by making hats and helping fund their vision. Their efforts led to the creation of the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute in 1834, where students worked during the day and studied by candlelight at night. This was the foundation of what would become Wake Forest College in 1838.
The University continued to remain a university affiliation until the mid-1980s. Even though the University officially ended its international ties in 1986, the Baptist spirit of community and service never left.
KEEP READING: History of the North Carolina Tar Heels Mascot
With a history like that, it was only right that their beloved mascot was an ode to Wake Forest’s history and culture.
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