Henry Hawk: The Evolution of an Icon

Since Hammond's inception, the school's sports teams have been known as the Skyhawks. A hawk in flight adorned the exterior wall of the gym for many years, has been featured in numerous yearbooks, and proudly greeted visitors to Edens Stadium.  But when, you may ask, did Henry Hawk, Hammond's beloved mascot arrive on the scene? And better yet, who is the new bird in town known as The Gear?  Well, keep reading...it's a matter of evolution ... or better yet, creationism.

In 1973, then Athletic Director and Football Coach Bob Ellenburg was approached by a t-shirt salesman offering to print shirts with the Hammond mascot for the student body. With Ellenburg's blessing, the salesman  set about creating his own version of a hawk, and thus "Henry", as he came to be known, was born. Henry has adorned every imaginable piece of Hammond paraphernalia and has proudly served as the spirt of Hammond and as a beloved mascot.

In the late 1970s, four girls, determined the school would have a mascot much like larger sports teams, donned red overalls, blue capes, and hawk-like hats. The foursome rotated appearances at football games, creating enthusiasm and school spirit among spectators.  The Henry of today is a professionally-designed costume, fierce, yet whimsical. Henry appears at pep rallies and at games, and when he does, he's the most popular guy around. Younger Skyhwks flock to him, older Skyhawks adore him–Henry is synonymous with Hammond.

And then there's The Gear...you can find his likeness on the walls of the gym, the Hawk's Nest, and everywhere in between. The Gear is named so because he's become a part of all team gear––uniforms, helmets, the list goes on. The Gear has become Hammond's lean, mean fighting machine, stirring our teams to victory and representing an athletic prowess unmatched by Henry Hawk. After all, who can argue with the bird who once guided five state championship teams and two runners-up in one season?

There's room in the nest for both birds, and neither is going anywhere.  Henry embodies our most important attributes: the spirit we possess, the enthusiasm we exhibit, and most importantly, our pride.  After cheering us on for this long, he's here to stay.  After all, birds of a feather really do flock together.

Go Skyhawks!