OFFBEAT: VU Crusader mascot continues to evolve

Valparaiso University gave plenty of play and promotion to the unveiling of its new Crusader mascot costume design launched in September 2010.

And today, it's still a work in progress with some tweaks here and there.

I'm told the Crusader was chosen as the "new" mascot back in 1942 and the original illustrated mascot image, which is the one I'm most familiar with from when I attended VU from 1988 to 1992, was actually penned by a Walt Disney artist and patented in 1951.

Displaying "fighting fists," he was used until 2010.

The Valparaiso Crusader's makeover was unveiled Sept. 18, 2010, at halftime of VU's football game against Saint Joseph College's Pumas.

The original media release explained the design changes: "Instead of having fists up as if it is preparing to throw a punch, the new mascot stands tall with a shield that represents a common set of eight characteristics and values found among people who compose the Valpo community. These values include the freedom to inquire, purpose-driven, service-minded, truth seeking, and being humble and compassionate."

"The most exciting thing about our new Crusader is the elements of character that underlie its personality," said Scott Ochander, Valparaiso University's vice president for integrated marketing and communications, touting the new look in the media release.

"I think the new Crusader does a really good balancing of our tradition with what we aspire to be," Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera also explained in the release.

An ongoing issue, even when I attended the university, was a discussion about whether the look of the original mascot promoted aggression instead of peace. (Though the VU Crusader is allowed a shield, he doesn't sport a sword.)

A part of some of the recent costume variations is the swapping out of the Crusader's head/helmet. The original reinvented character head revealed in 2010 was deemed too small, so a larger version was created last summer and introduced during the fall.

Last weekend, the VU Crusader competed in a "mascot challenge" during an event at VU's game against University of Illinois at Chicago.

Costumes competing in the event ranged from the Jamba Juice Fruits to Rusty the RailCat along with other assorted costumed curiosities.

(I'm told Sparky, the "spirited Dalmatian with soccer ball spots," who is the mascot for the Chicago Fire soccer time, was also supposed to participate, but was no-show.)

Valparaiso's Crusader has been an ongoing topic of discussion long before the re-designed costume was launched.

In 2008, the Valparaiso University Conversations Project hosted a discussion called "What's in a Name? The VU Crusader Mascot" open to the general public.

A faculty-student panel moderated by LaBarbera billed the event as "a discussion of the Crusader mascot, the cultural legacy of the Crusades and the importance of maintaining university traditions, with audience members encouraged to share their views."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or (219) 852-4327.