Final Four

Well I didn't get any of the teams that I selected into the final four. Two of them lost in the sweet 16 and the other two lost in the elite eight. I'll have to try again next year, I guess I better start doing a little more research before I pick. Or I could start picking by who ever has a stronger mascot. Like Weber State would beat Louisville since a Wildcat would kill a cardinal. Maybe that won't be the best idea after all, I'll keep trying to find a new formula though.

I would like to thank all of those who voted in the mascot pole, although many of you failed to leave comments explaining who you voted for and why. We had a three way tie for first between the Blue Blob, the Mountaineer and the Demon Deacon. I will cast the final vote hear and the award goes to-

the Demon Deacon. He dresses nice, he's a spiritual guy who also has a bit of a wild side to him. What a demon deacon is exactly? Well hears a little history-

Wake Forest was founded as a Baptist college originally the mascot was the tigers. In 1923, the Wake Forest football team defeated rival Trinity (later renamed Duke University). In the following issue of the school newspaper, the editor of the paper, Mayon Parker (1924 Wake Forest graduate), first referred to the team as "Demon Deacons," in recognition of what he called their "devilish" play and fighting spirit. Henry Belk, Wake Forest's news director, and Garrity liked the title and used it often, so the popularity of the term grew.

The actual mascot made its first appearance in 1941. As the "Demon Deacon" terminology became more popular, Jack Baldwin (1943 Wake Forest graduate) took the first step and became the first in the long line of Deacon mascots.

"Some of my fraternity brothers and I were just sitting around one evening," Baldwin recalls, "and came to the agreement that what Wake Forest needed was someone dressed like a deacon -- top hat, tails, a black umbrella and all that. We wanted him to be more dignified than other mascots, sort of like an old Baptist Deacon would dress".

Baldwin found an old tuxedo and a top hat, and on the following Saturday, he led the Wake Forest football team onto the field, riding the North Carolina ram. Two years later, when Baldwin graduated, many interested students were willing to continue dressing up as the mascot. Initially, the responsibility to pick new Demon Deacons fell on Baldwin's fraternity, but later it broadened to include all students. Today, special tryouts are held annually for new Deacons, but the competition is very intense.

Number of years later the mascot continued to be the Demon Deacon but the full body was designed after a legendary fan and student named "Doc" Murphrey.

There you have it.