Who Is Thor?

A mascot is the heart of a university. He represents the athletes, the students, the faculty, and each and every fan. The mascot’s job is to unite the people behind the team, rallying the troops. And if a mascot is doing his job correctly, he brings a lot of fun.

The history of the mascot of Southern Utah University is an impressive one. When SUU was initially established under the name of the University of Utah’s Branch Normal College in Cedar City, no mascot existed to represent the school. The school then grew to become known as the Branch Agricultural College under the Utah Agricultural College in Logan, and adopted the Aggies as its’ first representative.

However, the Branch Agricultural College recognized the need for a unique mascot, and thus become the Broncos in 1946. The BAC Broncos grew throughout the years, making a name for themselves, until realizing that the number of other Bronco mascots in the Mountain West Region was less than ideal for an independent school.

This realization prompted the final change of the mascot, officially becoming the Thunderbirds, while the school also made the transition to the College of Southern Utah in 1961.

Since that day in the 60s, the Thunderbirds have worn their mantle proudly, other than an April Fool’s hoax in 2008, when the university reported changing the official mascot to the Southern Utah Prairie Dogs.

It’s a commonly known fact in Cedar City that the SUU official mascot, specifically know as Thor, gained a new face behind his beak at the beginning of the 2016 academic school year. What is not commonly known, however, is the identity of that very face.

The identity of previous mascots may not have always been everyday gossip, but they were hardly a secret. Which is why it came as somewhat of a shock to some when this new Thor made it very clear he would be keeping his alter ego under wraps.

As part of the SUU cheer squad, Thor must have a few friends privy to the classified information, but the squad is a loyal group, and have so far succeeded in staying off the radar. Otherwise, even employees in the athletic department in Southern Utah must stick to speculation when it comes to the man behind the mask.

There are, however, a few known facts about the current Thor:

He is vastly devoted to the school, attending every event possible and involving himself in all of them.

He always engages children. It is not unusual to find Thor at a basketball game with groups of young ones, encouraging them to stomp and scream during an opponent’s free throw, or jumping in with a bunch on the smile cam at a football game.

He’s an excellent dancer. Many people concur that one of this Thor’s greatest appeals is his moves on the sidelines. During timeouts and breaks, camera crew members will often follow the T-Bird, allowing everyone in attendance to enjoy his favorite brand of entertainment.

He makes it personal. Thor often climbs into the crowds to connect with the fans. He keeps it playful, stealing caps and hats, untying shoe laces, and sneaking into selfies.

He’s athletic. As part of the cheer squad, Thor has always been involved with its members, occasionally lifting a cheer leader or performing a flip. But Thor has also been seen lately in the center of more complicated stunts, such as large pyramids involving each and every member of the squad.

Senior Jamie Smith is a member of the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team, and as such has had a lot of up-close and personal time with Thor on the court.

When asked what Thor means to her, Smith stressed how essential the mascot is for sporting events.

“It’s really important to have him at our games because he brings a lot of energy and he’s always hyping up the crowd,” Smith said. “He’s really important for school spirit.”

Smith then revealed a surprising piece of information about the mystery Thor.

“I personally know him,” Smith said. “It’s really cool just to see how he reacts to everyone; he’s genuinely like that in person. In real life he’s just really friendly; he’s nice to everybody and he’s very inclusive. He’s not pretending to be somebody behind the mask.”

‘Thunderbird’ is a title that students hold onto even after they’ve left the walls of the school, one that alumni can be proud to claim for the rest of their lives. And that begins with the original Thunderbird, the one beloved and supported by his peers.

So who is Thor?

It may not be known to the general student body exactly who the athlete representing Thor is at this time, but that might be a good thing. By allowing the mystery to grow, Thor could become so much more than just a person. He’s the rallying force behind the university, a splash of fun wherever he goes. He embodies the school as a whole, promoting and encouraging the attributes of a Southern Utah University Thunderbird. Qualities such as strength, loyalty, passion, equality, and a whole lot of fun.

T-Birds may never learn the identity of this Thor, but they may learn a thing or two from him.