Ever wonder who was the man behind Doc the Tiger? He’s not some creepy old man, but a Towson student who has been doing the job for the past four years. We are not going to give away the identity of the Tiger (although some of you may know), but I can atest that he would definitely be Campus Cutie material! Meet the man behind Doc.
HC: How did you get the position:
Doc: I always wanted to be a mascot in high school, but since my schools mascot was an Indian, we weren’t allowed to. My friend was the Director of Marketing [which was in charge of the mascot at the time] and I asked him if I could be the mascot and he said sure. Actually, the previous Towson mascot is now Poe the Raven (the Raves official mascot) and the Towson mascot before him was Poe the Raven too.
HC: How much of your time does it take up?
Doc: During basketball season it takes over my life. There is actually another guy who is the mascot too, but when one of us is Doc, the other is the handler. We have over 100 events a year. We do all home football games, basketball games, and some other sporting events occassionally (like lacrosse and swimming). We also do events at elementary schools, pep rallies, and some community events. During a football game we have to be there 2-3 hours before the game. One of us does the pre-game and the other does the actual football game.
HC:What is it like inside the suit?
Doc: It gets really hot in there. The temperature is 25 degrees over what the outside temperature is. It is also very hard to see because you can only see out of the mouth. We take a lot of water breaks to stay hydrated.
HC: Whats the best part about being the mascot?
Doc: It’s really fun. I love entertaining people and you get to have a separate identity from yourself that you get to play with.
HC:What’s the worst part?
Doc: The students can get aggressive. They attack you when they want photos. Football season is the worst if they are bad. Usually they start off strong and when they lose the crowd dwindles. A lot of the families come, but the crowd is scare [when they are losing].
HC: What was the most memorable moment?
Doc: Defintely this season. With the [football] team winning and all the school spirit. It is nice seeing that the school is finally coming together.
HC: Do you have any bad experiences?
Doc: One time at a lacrosse game two years ago, I was on the concourse of the stadium, walking up the stairs, and this kid says, “Ouch, Ouch, you are stepping on me!” The kid was fine, but you can’t see in there [which was why I stepped on him].
HC: Does it take a lot of training?
Doc: In the summer we go to mascot camp (with a lot of other schools) where you learn how to perfect the character-the walk especially. Doc is a big flirt and a big dancer. At the past mascot camp we won best mascot and will be competing in a national competition in Florida. We are one of only 12 other schools who were invited to compete.
HC: How has being the mascot enhanced your Towson experience?
Doc: You are kind of like the Face of Towson, but you don’t get blamed when something bad happens. This has been the highlight of my Towson experience. It’s fun.
Make sure you come out to the game tonight to see Doc and our 5-1 Tigers take on the Delaware Hens!