The Evolution of the Hawk
As the University of Hartford begins its fifth decade as a chartered institution, we'd like to reflect on how the Hawk nickname originated and evolved.
The nickname originated in the late 1940’s when the school competed as Hillyer College. At that time, Hillyer athletic teams were known as the Fighting Hawks. It is believed that the nickname stemmed from spectators having to climb four flights of stairs in the old Chauncey Harris School on Hudson Street in Hartford to the "Hawk's Nest" to watch basketball and wrestling events. The modifier "fighting" was used because of the never-give-up, aggressive nature of the school's athletic teams. When the University was chartered in 1957, "fighting" was dropped and the University nickname simply became HAWKS.
There have been at least five logos representing the nickname.
Student Jim Starbuck of New Britain, CT, was responsible for the first drawings and sketches of the Hawk in 1953. A second-generation drawing was done a few years later by Jack Repass, a Hartford graduate and later the sports information director. A third drawing, introduced in the 1977-78 season, ran until Hartford joined the Division I ranks.
There have been two depictions representing Hartford in the Division I era. The first debuted in the 1984-85 season and signaled the beginning of Hartford's Division I period. The second, and most recent, began its tenure during the winter of 1989-90, coinciding with the opening of the Sports Center.
Hartford has had three "live" mascots and a variety of costume versions.
The first live Hawk was "Harry, the fightin' Hawk," who debuted in 1947. A regular attendee of athletic events, the Hawk lived on the game farm of night school student Judd William of East Hartford, CT. A harsh, cold winter at the game farm in 1948 brought the premature death of the animal.
A second "Harry the Hawk" was brought to campus in 1949 by the school's first athletic director, A. Peter LoMaglio. Brought from a boys' camp in Maine, the Hawk was housed in LoMaglio's backyard. After several appearances at athletic events, the Hawk ate away his leather strap while on his outside perch and flew away -- never to be heard from again.
Many years passed before the third and final Hawk made its appearance at basketball games. Bob Early, a soccer player under LoMaglio, brought the Hawk to campus in the mid-1960s. It was cared for by a member of the Upsilon Xi Fraternity for a couple of years until the sometimes vicious bird was put to roost at the Sherwood Forest Zoo at Keney Park. His demise is unrecorded.
Paul Poirer, a wrestler, was the first to wear a Hawk costume in the early 1960’s. The Hawk garment went into storage after a few years, until 1967 when Keven Fahey, chairman of the Sports Promotion Committee, brought back the Hawk and named it "Manny the Hawk." The costume has had at least three versions, and many students have worn the suit since. The first woman to wear the costume was Kim Pateracki. The name "Howie the Hawk" (initiated during the school's Division I infancy in the late 1980’s) came from Howie Kassman, who made the Hawk come alive from 1985-90.