Northeastern State University’s Associate Professor of Accounting Dr. John Yeutter may enjoy his local celebrity, primarily achieved through his signature green mustache.

But Friday night, Yeutter experienced a bit of national celebrity in St. Louis, Mo., when he attended the American Mustache Institute’s “’Stache Bash.”

Yeutter flew to St. Louis last Friday, and was questioned by fellow passengers on the jet.

“As I was getting on the plane, looking for a place to stow my carry-on, one of the passengers already seated asked, ‘Sir, are you going to the ‘Stache Bash’ tonight?’” said Yeutter.

“There were nearly a thousand mustached Americans or persons of mustached descent – it was not a male-only event – at the Roberts Orpheum Theatre in downtown St. Louis, in the shadow of the world’s largest mustache, known by some as an arch.”

The event, in its second year, is held annually to bestow the “Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached Man of the Year” award. Yeutter placed second, being beaten only by Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Clay Zavada.

Zavada won the award after more than 100,000 votes were cast online; however, the day the voting closed, Yeutter was in first place.

Yeutter has a theory as to why he was bumped from first place.

“While there was local media attention here to my candidacy through the Daily Press, the Tulsa World and local radio and TV stations, the primary method of publicity used to promote me was social networking,” said Yeutter.

“A Facebook group was created, and many of the NSU students and community members communicated the cause to their friends and connections through this and other social media.”

On Monday, Oct. 19, before the voting closed, Yeutter was in the top four, which sent his supporters into overdrive mode to see the mild-mannered professor win.

“An effort went out across campus and to friends to continue generating votes,” said Yeutter. “This pushed me, by Wednesday morning, to the No. 1 spot. This is when traditional media fought back.”

Yeutter said on the last day of voting, he heard that ESPN SportsNation, a website dedicated to sports polls, chat and commentary, called on Arizona Diamondback fans to support their player, asserting that a major leaguer should win – not some teacher who paints his mustache green.

Ironically, the award is sponsored by not only the AMI, but the event – ‘Stache Bash – is a fundraiser for Challenger Baseball, a league for youth and adults with developmental disabilities.