Celebrating Rowdy the Redhawk and his history at SEMO

Whether leading cheers at sporting events, posing for photos with fans or rallying school spirit, every Redhawks fan has a memory involving SEMO’s beloved mascot, Rowdy the Redhawk.

Rowdy poses for a photo to promote blood donation. Photo from Arrow Archives

Senior Associate Director of Athletics Nate Saverino said that the Redhawks name came to SEMO in 2005, and along with the new name came a new mascot.

“Redhawks took hold as the new nickname – or mascot – in January of 2005, and with that, it gave the university an opportunity to have a mascot, to be able to interact with fans and engage with the community. At that time, they had a committee with some other folks in the athletic department and at the University at that time, and went to work on designing a mascot. We introduced Rowdy in January of 2005 at a basketball game,” Saverino said.

After lots of planning and design, Rowdy made his grand entrance at a basketball game.

SEMO’s associate director of international student services, Brooke DeArman, was the first person to unveil the new mascot. DeArman said she remembers the moment they introduced Rowdy, as she was the one watching the excitement of his introduction through the eyes of the mascot costume. SEMO’s current Rowdy was unavailable for comment.

“They turned off all of the lights in the Show Me Center and just had a spotlight. They snuck me out in the dark with the cheerleaders and the new Redhawks flag they were going to be revealing. I was under the flag and the cheerleaders hoisted me up in the air and the flag came off, spotlights all on me. Hearing that roar was the coolest thing, because people were so excited to see this new mascot be here. It was really, really cool, and I will never forget that,” DeArman said.

Rowdy’s introduction in 2005 marked a new chapter for SEMO, but he wasn’t the first mascot to represent the university. From 1914 to 1984, SEMO used indigenous iconography to represent the school. Saverino said they switched from the old iconography in the 90’s.

“The NCAA passed some legislation that said any schools with Native American nicknames and mascots would be ineligible for any postseason competition without special exceptions, so we started to drop the Indians name. They really started getting away from that in the late ’90s,” Saverino said.

After the initial change, SEMO considered a few other mascots before it settled on Rowdy. According to a timeline on SEMO’s website, the university tried out mascots, including Red, the Thunderbird, and even a sun. The Indians nickname was kept until the introduction of the Redhawks, but they avoided using the Indigenous mascots and names until 2004.

Much like the evolution of mascots at SEMO over the years, Rowdy’s look has evolved too. Saverino said Rowdy’s original image was a more round cartoon design before they switched to a more athletic design in 2018.

Original Rowdy poses for a photo with a student.Photo from Arrow Archives

Since Rowdy’s debut, he has been a key figure in embracing school spirit. DeArman, the first person to play Rowdy the night of his introduction, said that Rowdy’s character is special because he embraces everyone at SEMO.

“When Rowdy was born, I was in my sophomore year of college, so I think about what I was doing at that time, and if he were a person, what he would be doing all day. I think he would be majoring in sports management or dance. You know, he loves everybody. He would just be screaming ‘Go Redhawks” from the rafters all day long. And that’s how he should be. He’s fun-loving and has a positive spirit, regardless of what is going on at the games,” DeArman said.

As Rowdy celebrates another year of bringing school spirit to life, it’s clear that the community here at SEMO rallies behind him. From his debut in 2005 to his ongoing role on campus, Rowdy has united generations of students, alumni and fans.

Fans of Rowdy can come celebrate his birthday Saturday, Feb. 2nd at his birthday bash at SEMO’s Show Me Center.