Wake Forest is gearing up for another bracket two game in the College World Series, set to face the winner of Tennessee vs. LSU on Wednesday.
The Demon Deacons haven't been the most prominent program in NCAA baseball, with just three appearances all-time in the College World Series, but they are the No. 1 seed in this year's bracket after a stellar 54-10 season.
Now what, exactly, is a Demon Deacon? Glad you asked.
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How did Wake Forest get Demon Deacons nickname?
A Demon Deacon is a blend of tradition, sports and religion in Winston-Salem, N.C.
It was in 1923 when the Wake Forest football team defeated their rival, the now Duke Blue Devils (Trinity at the time). In the student newspaper's issue the day after the game, the editor — Mayon Parker — had referred to the team as the Demon Deacons. According to the school's athletic site, this was because of the program's "devilish" victory.
Hank Garrity, the head coach of the football and basketball teams, as well as the Wake Forest news director Henry Belk, both liked the title and used it quite often, after that.
Wake Forest is historically Baptist and Christian in heritage, and a deacon is an ordained position within the Baptist church with varying responsibilities, qualifications and requirements.
In 1941, a student — Jack Baldwin — dressed up in the way he thought an old-timey Baptist deacon would look like on a dare from his fraternity brother: top hat, tuxedo, and black umbrella.
What is Wake Forest's mascot?
The Wake Forest mascot is a Deacon. Visually, it is a muppet-esque white man dressed in a tuxedo, with gloves, a top hat covering his white hair and a big yellow bowtie. Sometimes he even rides on a yellow motorcycle.
He kind of looks like he'd be friends with Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show.
The costume was changed to include the deacon's massive foam head in 1980 and the body was reportedly designed after a fan and student named "Doc" Murphey, who was well-known for rallying the troops and being Wake Forest's top unofficial cheerleader.
Following Baldwin's graduation, it fell upon his fraternity to choose the next Deacon mascot. Today, the tryouts are especially intense, as it's broadened to the whole student body.
The Deacon has performed several memorable stunts over his lifespan, including:
- Jimmy Devos (graduated 1955) dropped his pants at Bowman Gray Stadium, revealing a pair of colorful Bermuda shorts
- Ray Whitley (graduated 1967) introduced the intricate, parkour art of goal climbing
- Bill Shepard (graduated 1960) cried his own "turkey buzzard" when Auburn made cried war eagle
- Joe Hensley (graduated 1961) got on the roof of Wait Chapel to motivate the students during that year's football season
- Hap Bulger (graduated 1965) is also known as the "Debonair Deacon"
- Jeff Dobbs (graduated 1977) is the most-well known Deacon, thanks to his acrobatic dancing skills
