Just in time for IU Day, the annual, worldwide celebration of all things Indiana University, the campus mascot at IU Northwest is unveiling his new and improved self.

The fun-loving RedHawk celebrates his 20^th birthday this year. While his likeness was first created in 1999, he didn’t get his physique (aka costume) until 2009, and his moniker of Rufus until 2010.

With 10 athletic teams and a student body of more than 4,000 to support, Rufus is busier than ever. He needs to be on top of his game. Thanks to a recent commitment by the Office of Student Activities to upgrade the duds he wears around campus, Rufus’s history is now ready for a new notch on his timeline, with 2019 to be recorded as the year Rufus got a makeover.

In fact, as part of IU Northwest’s IU Day festivities on Tuesday, Apr. 10, the campus will gather for Rufus’ big reveal at noon in the Moraine Student Center.

Ever wonder about Rufus’s back story? His roots? Who came before him?

Thanks to two longtime IU Northwest staff members who’ve known Rufus for years, Inside IUN is able to bring our readers a historical perspective on IU Northwest’s mascots through the years, as well as Rufus’s origins.

Tough as steel, soft as feathers: Mascots through the years

Contributed by Steve McShane, archivist and historian, Calumet Region Archives

In its nearly 60-year history, IU Northwest has enjoyed several names for its athletics teams and mascots, each tied to our service area, the Calumet Region of Northwest Indiana.

In 1972, the campus mascot was the “Chief,” a nod to the rich Native American heritage of the area. After a few years, it was changed to the more general “Indian,” because Indiana means “Land of the Indians,” and the baseball team chose to wear hats modeled after the Cleveland Indians’ headgear. Both of these names appeared to be used interchangeably in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1992, the campus held a contest for a new team name. A number of students submitted suggestions tied to the steel industry, such as “Steelworker” and “Ingot.” A selection committee chose the “IUN Blast”, in a nod to the local steel industry’s most iconic symbol―the blast furnace. The new name also referenced the blast of icy cold winds coming off Lake Michigan.

A RedHawk is born

Contributed by Scott Fulk, director, Student Activities

Creating IU Northwest’s current mascot, Rufus the RedHawk, took the time and talents of two students, William Granzow, II, and Korey Woods.

In 1999, Granzow, then a criminal justice major, envisioned a new team name to replace the “Blast.” He researched animals and birds of prey native to Northwest Indiana. With the help of Indiana Dunes Park rangers, he discovered the red-tailed hawk.

This powerful, graceful predator can be seen gliding in the updrafts of the Indiana Dunes National Park, scouting its prey. Granzow shortened red-tailed hawk to “RedHawk,” and IU Northwest’s new team name was born.

Fine Arts major Korey Wood’s job entailed fashioning the actual look of the bird. Wood designed two versions of the mascot, one full-figure with clenched “fists” and one a head-only rendering. Its menacing glower challenged all who dared take on the IU Northwest teams.

The RedHawk was then introduced as part of the 1999 opening festivities to celebrate a new student activities building, the Savannah Center, which included the campus’ first real gymnasium.

Later, IU consolidated the looks of each regional campus’ mascots, taking the basic designs and giving them a similar – and distinctly IU – look. The head-only with shield mascot (seen left) is the result.

In 2009, IU Northwest secured a costume for its red-feathered mascot, which became the iteration of the RedHawk that is most familiar to today’s campus community. In 2010, the then Office of Student Life and Athletics christened the RedHawk “Rufus.”

Between 2009 and today, Rufus the RedHawk, makes appearances at IU Northwest’s athletics events, as well as an increasing number and variety of campus events that require his spirited and energetic presence.

Appropriately named

According to the website, “Behind the Name,” which was created by an enthusiast in etymology, linguistics and history, the name “Rufus” has Ancient Roman, English and biblical origins.

There are three parts of a typical Roman name, and one of those means “red-haired” in Latin.

Several early saints had this name and a king of England once used Rufus as a nickname because of his red hair.

After the Protestant Reformation, the name Rufus came into general use in the English-speaking world. It sharply declined in popularity in the U.S. after 1910.