The Hawk | |
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![]() A flap of The Hawk while visiting stands during a halftime in 2018 | |
University | Saint Joseph's University |
Conference | A-10 |
Description | Full-Body Costume |
First seen | January 4, 1956 |
The Hawk is the mascot of Saint Joseph's University. The Hawk represents the University's motto, "The Hawk Will Never Die", by flapping its wings non-stop (even during halftime) throughout every basketball game. The Hawk, who has been flapping his wings since 1956, is one of the most decorated mascots in college sports, having been called the best college mascot by ESPN College Basketball Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and The Sporting News.
The Hawk has been seen stopping its eternal flapping. In a game in 1998 against the University of Rhode Island URI's mascot, Rhody the Ram, prevented the St. Joe's Hawk from his eternal flapping by putting an inner tube over its head. This temporarily immobilized his arms. While trying to remove the tube, the Hawk's head (costume) fell off. The incident was televised on ESPN.