Evolution of the Greyhound
Indy the Greyhound has become the face of the University of Indianapolis athletics over the past 85 years. Originally, the UIndy mascot was the Cardinal and Grey Warriors.
By Manny Casillas | Editorial Assistant
It’s a sight not uncommon at football and basketball games. He’s tall, silver-colored and attired in a red shirt and shorts. He’s Indy the Greyhound, the character who symbolizes University of Indianapolis athletics.
“The UIndy greyhound mascot is an entity that represents the fighting spirit of the University of Indianapolis,” said Lamont Hendrix, the former mascot. “There’s a freedom in it. You can do some pretty fun, crazy things [in the suit].
The current Greyhound expressed similar sentiments, saying, “I enjoy it, once you get into the costume. Because people don’t know who you are, it does give you a kind of freedom to not act your age.”
On the subject of the suit itself, they noted that it isn’t very comfortable, and a few pounds can be lost from of sweating.
“Sometimes the Velcro gets a little scratchy, and the head can be awkward to wear. But I just block that out. If you can deal with the over-sized feet and head it’s all right,” said the current Greyhound.
As much as the Greyhound is known as a mascot, the mascot’s identity must be kept a well-guarded secret.
“It loses some of its uniqueness if people are out there yelling ‘Hey John!’ instead of ‘Hey Greyhound!’ And then people at the game realize it’s just a man in a creepy suit,” Hendrix said.
The university decided on the idea of using the greyhound as a mascot in the fall of 1926. The mascot did not start out that way at first.
In 1919, the university (then known as Indiana Central) adopted the athletic colors of cardinal and grey. In fall of 1924, The Reflector printed an article about the 31 men on Central’s first football team. The Reflector referred to the team as “Coach George’s scrapping cardinal and gray pigskin warriors.” From then on, Warriors were used to describe the athletes.
In the spring of 1926, the term warriors made its way to other athletic teams, which was sealed with a photo in The Reflector of the basketball team that carried the caption, “Central’s Hardwood Warriors.” However, in the fall of that same year another Reflector article made the announcement that the Cardinal and Grey Warriors were facing off against Earlham College in the first home game of that season. A headline about the game read, “Central Greyhounds Ready For Quakers.”
Just a week after that game, a group of fans convened in Men’s Hall to “choose a name that would do justice to the scrapping Cardinal and Grey Warriors,” according to Downright Devotion to the Cause by Fredrick Hill. They agreed on the Greyhound because the Indiana Central athlete is “a long, lean animal renowned for its speed, jumping prowess and fighting heart.”
In less than a year, The Reflector again published an article in which the term “Greyhound varsity teams” was used, and soon enough the name was applied to every team, although women athletes were referred to as Whippets until around 1985.
Sue Willey, director of athletics and a UIndy alumna, remembers being a Whippet.
“I hated being a Whippet. I wanted to be a Greyhound,” she recalled.
To this day, the Greyhound has endured as the symbol of UIndy athletics.
“It’s a very fun experience,” said Chase Eaton, who served as the mascot for the four years he attended UIndy. “Sure, it’s hot and sweaty in the costume, and sometimes smelly. But being in costume just allows the performer to have fun, act goofy and make people laugh.”
