St. Joseph's mascot wings it

Mascots are mysterious ­— their performers often more so.

And while most revel in anonymity, the St. Joseph’s Hawk is a rarity in today’s sports world, not only because he reveals his identity — his name is Tim Higgins — but also because of his level of involvement with the program.

“He’s seen by the players and by myself as a full member of the team,” head coach Phil Martelli said.

He’s at every game, home or away, and will be flapping his wings at the Palestra Saturday when the Hawks (5-13, 0-1 Big 5) take on the Quakers (5-8, 0-3).

As much as any of the players competing in tomorrow’s matchup, Higgins has worked diligently to earn his spot on the court.

Martelli and St. Joe’s Athletic Director Don DiJulia are part of the final selection process each year for the Hawk.

Applicants must write an essay, have a staff or faculty sponsor, and go before a selection committee comprised of former Hawks — an assistant coach and a member of the Gallagher family — which endows a full scholarship for the selected student each year.

“They might have eight, 10, 12, 16 candidates that they choose from,” Martelli said. “They’re brought down to about a group of four ... and Mr. DiJulia and I basically end up with veto power.”

Higgins’ path to becoming the Hawk was a long time coming as a life-long St. Joe’s fan.

His father — a 1976 St. Joe’s graduate — had season tickets that exposed the younger Higgins to the basketball program as a kid.

In high school, Higgins played a year of hoops himself and coached grade school teams.

“That’s when I realized I wanted to stay involved in basketball and still be a part of a team,” Higgins said. “That’s when I decided to be a manager.”

Helping three years with everything from putting out balls and water, to rebounding or passing in drills, Higgins applied for and was selected to the position.

“There were some nerves involved,” Higgins said. “I knew there were some long hours of training ahead of me.”

Required to flap whenever wearing the suit, the new Hawk had to prepare for a 30-game schedule with roughly 3,500 flaps per contest.

“Getting ready for the season involves a lot of running on the treadmill and then just putting the costume on and standing there flapping,” Higgins said.

He put in hours on the court too, running the Hawk’s trademark figure-eights in his costume after team practice.

“The Hawk clearly has some talent with his shoulders,” said Penn’s Quaker, who — like most mascots — remains anonymous.

The Quaker cited the famous flapping as impressive but was quick to note that representing the Red and Blue has its own challenges: he must deal with the hot suit, losing several pounds of sweat every game.

But the Hawk’s effort goes beyond physical exertion.

In addition to every game and pep rally, the Hawk is a mainstay at graduation, charity events and special receptions to welcome faculty.

And outside the university?

“Weddings are common,” Higgins said. “One family wanted me to really be a part of the wedding dinner and everything. They had me come out onto the dance floor.”

Higgins says his most memorable moment is yet to come, citing the upcoming Palestra games, including the one against Penn Saturday, as possibilities.

While the Red and Blue attempt to break their 16-game Big 5 losing streak, Higgins is hopeful the Hawks are about to turn the corner with their young team after losing 11 of their last 13 games.

Though St. Joe’s have been down lately, Higgins’ attitude and perpetual flapping exemplify the university motto, “The Hawk Will Never Die,” which Martelli called a way of life.

“The hawk is gritty, it’s a team member, and I think these other mascots are kind of caricatures,” Martelli said.

“The fact that it’s not a trumped up costume, it’s down and dirty, that’s exactly the way people would want it.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.