The NSU Bigfoots?

By Eddie Glenn, Press Staff Writer

March 08, 2006 11:25 am

— It started out innocently enough, as most class projects do.
But when NSU student Vicky Green went around town last week, visiting area merchants to get their views on the availability of NSU apparel, she stopped by Murv Jacob’s art gallery. That’s where things got a little strange.
Green and two other students – Jeremy Duskin and Nina Wenner – are working on a marketing project dealing with NSU’s logos and trademarks, which, according to Green, seem to be a bit lacking.
“When you look around at all the OU and OSU apparel that’s available, and consider that those universities get 8 percent of the money from the sales, that’s a lot of money NSU is losing,” said Green. “I stopped by Jacob’s Gallery, and that discussion resulted in a chain of events that led to the questions, ‘What exactly is our logo?’ and ‘What exactly is our mascot?’”
The NSU sports teams are known as the Redmen and the Lady Reds, but the mascot is a character called “Rowdy,” who makes an appearance at major NSU sporting events.
During the course of discussing the ambiguous nature of NSU’s mascot, Jacob – inspired by the increase of Bigfoot sightings in the area over the past several years – decided that the hairy creature of somewhat dubious existence would make a great mascot for NSU.
Before Green even left the gallery, Jacob had repainted a mural outside his shop, designating Tahlequah as the home of the “NSU Bigfoots,” as shown in a photo on the front page of last Wednesday’s Daily Press.
Students passing by during the mural renovation seemed to appreciate the humor of the somewhat unusual mascot, if not outright support it. That inspired Jacob to do a painting of Bigfoot, wearing nothing but a lot of fur and a pair of sunglasses, kicking a soccerball.
A movement appeared to be under way.
“I’ve had so many people complain to me about the Redmen,” said Jacob, pointing out the ongoing controversy over school mascots that portray American Indians in what some feel is a negative light.
“But who could be offended by Bigfoot? The most popular T-shirt in Oklahoma is a very toothy Eskimo, and the second most popular T-shirt is a wagon-full of criminals – we call them Sooners. I think there’s room at the top for Bigfoot.”
A quick survey of a few NSU students found some uncertainty – even apathy – about NSU’s mascot. Green said she’s encountered the same response in conducting research for her marketing project.
“The mascot is Rowdy,” said Jeff Toegel. “But the Redman is – I don’t know. What is the Redman?”
Toegel said he’s doubtful that the mascot will be changed to the Bigfoots (Jacob said he prefers Bigfoots to Bigfeet as the plural, because members of the Blackfoot tribe are, he said, called Blackfoots, not Blackfeet – except in Canada).
“I think there’s too much tradition and heritage associated with the Redmen to change it now,” said Toegel. “But if it came to a vote, I probably wouldn’t even vote.”
Chuck Hagen was a bit uncertain about the current mascot, too, but said he thought the “NSU Sasquatches” would work better than the Bigfoots.
(Sasquatch is what Bigfoot is called in Canada. Why Canada keeps being inserted into this issue is a mystery, at least to the writer.)
“I don’t even know what the mascot is right now,” said Hagel. “Do we have a mascot?”
That seems like a strange question to come out of a college student’s mouth, but Hagel wasn’t alone in his mascotlessness (if that’s a word).
Would Anna Gurley support a mascot change?
“I don’t know. What is the mascot right now?” was her response, after which she was apprised of the Redman/Rowdy situation. “Change it to Bigfoot? Sure, I’d go for it.”
NSU graduate “Big” Will Boatman – who sometimes serves as the Press’ unofficial etiquette and protocol consultant on matters as far fetched as the appropriateness of flip-flops and proper jail behavior – has an opinion or two on the mascot issue.
But then, he would.
He was present during last week’s mural repainting, and took a liking to the proposed mascot change immediately. He’s even volunteered to be “Bigfoot” at NSU’s sporting events.
“We’re called the NSU Redmen, but the mascot’s not even a Native American. It’s a Muppet that scares little children,” said Boatman, who’s evidently of the opinion that Bigfoot would not have the same effect on youngsters. “At a game, we could have a sighting, with Bigfoot running across the field. Even if people don’t like sports, they’d show up just for the sighting.”
Boatman even suggested a related mascot for the NSU women’s sports teams – the Lady Yetis.
(The Yeti, more commonly known as the Abominable Snowman, is the Himalayan version of Bigfoot).
Green said she’s not ready just yet to start campaigning for Bigfoot (or Sasquatch, or the Yeti) as a new mascot, but she’s seen enough interest expressed that she’s going to include the Bigfoot option on a questionnaire about the issue later this semester.
“We’re not saying, ‘Hey, let’s change the mascot to Bigfoot!’ We’re just saying the opportunity is there,” Green said. “We’ll put it on the questionnaire and see how many people would be interested in it.”
Neal Weaver, NSU vice president for University Relations, said any mascot change would probably involve a survey of both the students and the alumni.
“Those are the two groups that actually own the mascot,” he said.
Weaver added that having Bigfoot as a mascot would have at least one positive aspect.
“I think we’d stomp the competition,” he said, laughing.

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