Swoop has been tearing up the sidelines of sporting events, public events and charity gatherings for the U since 1996. Swoop is a Red-Tailed hawk, which are indigenous to Utah, and is the official mascot for the Utes.
Before Swoop was created, the U had been without a mascot for some time and was the only school in the Western Athletic Conference without one. The name of the tribal council of the Ute Tribe, the Utes, inspired the very first U mascot, a cartoonish image of a Native American. However, the mascot was eventually dropped due to concerns of controversy. The 1980s saw the advent of the Crimson Warrior, a man dressed in a Native American costume who would ride onto the field on horseback and throw a lance around a bale of hay to pump up the crowd before football games. Unlike the original cartoon, the Crimson Warrior was seen as more of a symbol than a mascot.
According to Marc Amicone, who played a role in Swoop’s creation, Swoop was an actual Red-Tailed hawk living on the cloud, otherwise known as the scoreboard in the Huntsman Center, before he was found and named the Utes’ mascot.
Fun Facts About Swoop:
Swoop’s closest cousin is Bumble, the official mascot of the Salt Lake Bees.
Swoop is also very close with the Utah Jazz Bear — he sees him as an older brother.
Swoop has a girlfriend, who he met at a U basketball game while he was working as the mascot.
Swoop is not only the mascot, but also a full time student at the U.
One of Swoop’s goals is to buy all the newest and best Utah attire from the campus store.
This year Swoop turns 20 years old. The U will celebrate Swoop’s birthday on Sept. 1 from 12-2 p.m. at the Campus Store and also during halftime at the first football game against Southern Utah University. A group of student filmmakers at the U produced a documentary for students to learn more about Swoop. They held interviews with people who know Swoop best including his girlfriend, gym partner, roommate and biggest fans. The full video can be viewed at asuuu.utah.edu within the next week.
@Kelsey_Kenyon