UND Looking for Mascot Version of ‘Fighting Hawk’
It was back in Nov. 2015 when the University of North Dakota announced the new nickname for their sports' teams. Now the school is looking for a mascot.
A student led initiative has the school looking for an actual 'Fighting Hawk' mascot to compliment the school's nickname according to a blog post on the University's official athletic site.
The group has requested proposals from several vendors but help from University officials and focus groups will ultimately help determine what the 'Fighting Hawk' mascot will look like.
UND has not had an actual mascot, official or otherwise roaming around their athletic events since 'Thunder the Bleacher Creature,' who mysteriously went missing in the Spring of 1994 according to a Grand Forks Herald article from 2017. Thunder was meant to be a rival to North Dakota State's mascot, Thundar.
This is what Thunder looked like. People think the mascot costume was wither misplaced or stolen. Campaigns to try and retrieve Thunder have failed thus far.
A proposal is expected to be awarded in March and then groups on campus will work together to try and come up with a design.
UND fans and alumni treated the unveiling of the Fighting Hawks logo sourly, so it will be important for the University to get the look of the mascot correct. There are fans that are still upset that the nickname was changed to The Fighting Hawks in the first place.
The picture featured at the top of this post is the mascot for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, Harry.