In 2020, we are seeing athletes, sponsors, and fans ask their teams and universities to make a real change to their image across the sports landscape. One easy, simplistic way to begin that change is through language. Names we use to refer to schools, mascots, buildings, and team names carry weight. Changing them is definitely a way to stop honoring those on the wrong side of history. As seen recently, the Washington Racial Slurs are planning on changing their name (and we have some ideas to help!). The Cleveland Indians have also recently debated their own name (and we have some ideas to help them, too!). But a university that could use a makeover? The Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Look, Wake Forest’s motto is pro humanitae, or “for humanity.” How can a university be “for humanity,” and be represented by demon deacons? Break that down… a “deacon” is a cleric, or someone who works for the church. That makes sense for the historically baptist university. But a demon deacon?! That seems very much not “for humanity.” A “demon deacon” would be, in its most literal sense, be a minister of the fallen angels.
Wake Forest received the nickname, like many universities, from a sports writer. The Wake Forest football team had a “devilish” big win over the Trinity Blue Devils (now known as Duke), after they “fought like demons” in 1923.
In 1923 Wake Forest was first referred as “Demon Deacons,” in recognition of their “devilish” play and fighting spirit after they defeated Trinity College (now Duke University) in football. Here are their many looks over the several decades. #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/bS8rDDzzhh
— College Sports Logos (@college_logos) July 15, 2020
So, not only is the odd, oxymoronic mascot, ill-fit for the university… it’s a copycat. Beat the devils, become the devils. I’m not one to criticize the writers of the roaring 20’s that ran with this nickname… but every depiction of the 20’s I’ve ever seen indicates these folks might not have been in the best state of mind to come up with this.
And that’s understandable. Wake Forest was the last major university to name a mascot and earn a team nickname in the state of North Carolina, a state of strong collegiate athletics. They were already the oddball out in that they were the lone religious university of their size, they couldn’t also be the lone school without a team name. Of course they adopted the first name they got, no matter how ghoulish it was.
It’s been nearly 100 years of this madness, but luckily we here at Belly Up are here to help. Check out the ideas the crew came up with below, and vote at the end for which new branding you think is best!
Parker’s Idea: Wake Forest University Lumberjacks
Read it as you’ll hear it read: the Wake Forest Lumberjacks. Yeah, the Forest Lumberjacks go together like red and black plaid. It’s perfect.
Further, Wake Forest is in a literal forest. Baptists in North Carolina bought the Forest of Wake to build their school. In 1834, the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute was opened for its first fall of classes. Yes, you read that correctly. It was originally a college for ministry and manual labor. Students were required to perform and keep a record of manual labor for three hours per day. If we’re looking to ditch the oxymoronic religious mascot… Why not go to the other half of the original founding?
Wake Forest is, intentionally, set in a forest and surrounded by a giant wall of trees. The beautiful campus is secluded and pristine. It’s manicured backdrop comes from the big burly folks working to keep the trees trimmed and in order.. Especially if they need to use an axe.
Now I’m not saying the Wake needs to ditch the black and gold entirely. Those colors do well in preserving the university’s baptist past, and are perfect and simple. But, the idea of a lumberjack plaid accent, decoration, or alternate uniform would be wildly unique. As a school that struggles to stand out in the “old north state,” the uniqueness of plaid branding would go a long way. It’s not the black and blue or Durham, or the Carolina blue in Chapel Hill, but why fight that with a normal color scheme? Be bold. Be plaid. Be a Wake Forest Lumberjack.
Kev’s Idea: Wake Forest Deacon Blues
You may be thinking “Deacon Blues by Steely Dan? The rock and jazz fusion band?” And you’d be right! Now, why would I want to base the mascot on a song by a New York band?
Deacon Blues was a song off Steely Dan’s sixth studio album, Aja. In a since debunked rumor about the song’s inception was that it was based on the Demon Deacons of the 1970’s. This is not true, and is actually about a down and out “triple L loser” according to the writer, Walter Becker. However, let’s have some fun and assume it is true.
This rumor started from one line in the song:
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide,
Call me Deacon Blues
Deacon Blues, Steely Dan
Listeners thought this was comparing the 1973 National Champion Crimson Tide to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who won 7 games from 1972-1975. Wake Forest’s fortunes haven’t changed much since the 70’s, as they have been ranked once in the past 20 years.
There are plenty of people in Winston-Salem who are feeling the “Deacon Blues.”
Mystery Guest’s Idea: Wake Forest University Songbirds
Yes, it HAS to be a songbird, OK?!
And it’s important because it’s from something important. For 30 years, Wake Forest was graced by one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most prolific writers and activists in their faculty. Maya Angelou, author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was a professor in the humanities department in Winston Salem from 1981 until her death in 2014. Yes, they’ve had Tim Duncan. Sure, they had Chris Paul. Hell, they even had Arnold Palmer (the golfer the drink is named after, youngin’s)… but they all pale in comparison to Angelou.
Ok ok ok… I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings isn’t actually about a bird. It’s an autobiography on racism and trauma from Angelou’s life. But, in playing with the title, a songbird would be a unique mascot to say the least.
Songbirds are little, but they are vocal. A chirping from the student section could rival the annoying level of a Cameron Crazy or someone in the Dean Dome. And isn’t that the real goal of a student section, anyways?
VOTE:
In the comments below, respond with one of the picks above, or write in your own!
Find Parker (@painsworth512), Chaka (a regular contributor) (@chakacummings) and Kev (@BellyUpKev) on Twitter, and check out the Mascot Madness articles on RISD, The University of Oklahoma, old NBA Teams, the Texas Rangers, the University of Mississippi, the Cleveland Indians, and the Washington Racial Slurs for more mascot related content.
