Wake Forest

Article by Freddie Brister

Wake Forest University (WFC) is a private university located in North Carolina. The school, which was founded in 1834 after the North Carolina Baptist State Convention, got its name from the area called Wake Forest where it was originally established. At first, the school was created to teach Baptist laymen and ministers. Nowadays, however, the main campus of this coeducation school is located at Winston Salem and the educational programs available are varied.

The athletic teams of Wake Forest were originally called the Fighting Baptists. This was due to the old connection of the school to the Baptist Convention. The name Demon Deacons, which the WFC teams are now using, was coined after a reporter who covered the match between the Fighting Baptists and Duke Blue Devils wrote that the Deacons (referring to the WFC team) “fought like Demons”. The support of the WFC students, alumni, and fans for their teams, particularly the basketball and football teams, remain solid all these years. And this is because of the program called Screamin’ Demons, wherein students who sign up for the program at the beginning of the athletic season pay about USD 15 for the entire season. Aside from having a free tie-dye shirt in spring and a football shirt in the autumn, the Screamin’ Demons get the finest seats during the games. Furthermore, the program participants also get to watch sports events for free for as long as they show their Screamin’ Demons card for the season. However, the above-mentioned privileges will be forfeited if the member of the program misses two games. Since it is quite difficult to get good seats at WFC basketball games, many fans just opt to join the program to be assured of good seats.

The school colors of Wake Forest are Old Gold and Black. Since 1895, the school has since used these colors even when their teams were still called the Fighting Baptists. The description of the colors of WFC, including its tiger logo, was seen first at the school’s literary magazine. The one who designed the original logo or symbol of WFC was John M Heck, according to a magazine article in 1895. The college logo was composed of an old gold and black WFC letters over a tiger’s head. However, historians claim that the colors and the logo of the school were actually associated or loosely based on the scriptures. Up until now, many are still debating as to the origins of the colors and the logo of the school.

But if Wake Forest’s symbol and colors are ripe with controversies, it’s a different story with the Demon Deacons mascot whose origin is very clear. In 1943, the first person who donned the school mascot was Jack Baldwin. According to him, he along with his fraternity brothers came up with the idea of dressing as a deacon – complete with a black umbrella, top hat and tails – and entering the football field while riding the North Carolina ram. This stunt, which was originally intended as a joke, became a Wake Forest tradition

About the Author

Freddie Brister is a big fan of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Michigan State Spartans.Check out his Wake Forest Demon Deacons Gear or his Michigan State Spartans Gear.