By Audie Ayer
Arkansas Farm Bureau

The wolves are at our door.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They’re Red Wolves, and they’re moving into Northeast Arkansas. They’ll be roaming areas of a good-sized part of the South this fall, initially the football fields; then later in the year, basketball, baseball, the tracks and fields and other athletic venues in search of their prey: victories.

Today, the red wolf is extinct in the wilds of North America. Once, they roamed over large parts of the country, including much of the Natural State. Now, they live protected in captivity in only a few places in the nation.

At Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (Craighead County), however, they’ve been resurrected, if only in spirit. The Red Wolves is the school’s new athletic team nickname, and is unique among United States colleges and universities. The new mascot makes its first appearance in an enthusiastic gathering of students and fans at ASU’s opening home football game Sept. 6 against Texas Southern University.

Already, billboards in Northeast Arkansas are exclaiming, “Howl, yes! I want season tickets!” Additionally, the university is instituting plans utilizing giveaways, signs, logos and a range of other promotional material, plus slogans and fan involvement.

“‘The hunt is on!’” says Gleenreus “Glen” Hart. “That’s our slogan for the year, at least in football.”

As assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions at ASU, Hart is the man responsible for coming up with ideas and different ways to get the student body, alumni and public behind the new mascot. University of Arkansas has “Tusk,” Georgia has its bulldog “Uga,” and Colorado has its “Ralphie” the buffalo. Don’t expect a live red wolf in Jonesboro anytime soon, however.

Hart says the prohibitive cost of keeping a live animal mascot, all the permits, liability and paperwork — plus the fact that red wolves are all but extinct — pretty much has cancelled whatever thoughts ASU may have had for a live mascot.

“In August, we will have tryouts for a suited mascot along the lines of the San Diego Chicken,” Hart says, “you know, in a costume.

“I’ve already been in contact with some individuals with quite a bit of experience as mascots. But whoever wins, their identity will remain a secret.”

Everything starts with football this fall, and Hart says fan and student involvement is key.

“The students and spirit groups will play a big role in the games.”

Traditionally, ASU athletic teams have paid homage, some would contend, to Native Americans through its nickname, the Indians. However, in 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the “governing body” of most of college athletics — and certainly of those considered “big-time” — took the opposite view and in some parts of the nation stirred up a hornet’s nest when it ruled 16 such nicknames and mascots no longer were acceptable.

After a wait-and-see period to determine how the ruling might affect the university and other schools with similar nicknames, ASU administrators launched an extensive search for just the right entity to represent the school. In March, the Red Wolves were turned loose — figuratively, of course — on students and the public at a press conference on campus.

One of the key “spirit groups,” student organizations that most universities and colleges have to cheer on their athletic teams, is ASU’s “State Stompers.” Relatively new, they were named before the Indians became the Red Wolves.

“We’re going to rely on them for enthusiastic support, nevertheless,” Hart says.

Student run, the Stompers will have their own sections, between the 20 and 40 yard lines at the football games and behind one of the backboards for basketball.

“It’ll cost $15 to join,” Hart says, “and they’ll get two t-shirts, one for football and one for basketball, and they’ll get points for attendance that can earn them prizes, special tailgate parties and some other things.”

“Nothing is set in stone yet,” but Hart says one of those other things “may include free books for a semester.”

He smiles.

“Membership has its privileges.”

Doug Doggett, ASU’s assistant athletic director for external operations and director of the Indian Club, agrees. The club is traditionally where alumni exercise their support of university athletics.

“The Indian Club is over 30 years old,” he says, “and it (currently) provides scholarships to more than 300 student-athletes.

“It has a three-fold purpose: first, to provide education to student-athletes (hence, the scholarships); second, to improve our athletic facilities; and third, to enhance the donor experience.”

Tradition often is a hard hurdle to clear, both men agree. However, since Dr. Robert L. Potts, university chancellor, revealed the school’s new mascot in March, Doggett notes, “almost everyone has gotten on board.”

With an exception here and there.

“My 9-year-old daughter just cried,” he says, “‘Daddy, I don’t want to be a wolf!’”

An ASU alumnus himself, Doggett says, “All of us who’ve gone here in the past are always going to be ‘Indians,’ of course. But people are realizing (the change) is in the best interest of our university.

“I’ve gotten letters that have said, ‘I’m still an Indian,’ and they had a check enclosed for the athletic program.”

“Our changes are just little things,” Doggett says. “Even the fight song is the same—except now instead of ‘I-N-D-I-A-N-S,’ it spells ‘RED-W-O-L-V-E-S.’

“The little things add up and give us an opportunity to start fresh — build beyond our tradition.”