SEMO mascots then and now

Southeast Missouri State University has had several mascots in its 150 year history, from a Native American chief to one of SEMO's most recognizable faces, Rowdy the Redhawk.

As SEMO's mascot, Rowdy runs, jumps and dances with the cheerleaders, struts along with the marching band and hypes up the crowd at university athletic events.

But what makes Rowdy Rowdy is the Redhawk inside. Most wouldn't recognize the faces of the SEMO students who portray Rowdy, and that's just fine with them.

Brooke DeArman was the first student to play Rowdy when Rowdy was revealed as the new SEMO mascot Jan. 22, 2005.

DeArman graduated from SEMO in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Trumpet Performance and received a master's degree in Higher Education Leadership in 2010. She returned to SEMO in 2012 to work in the admissions office and is currently the assistant director of International Student Services in SEMO's Office of International Education, and she fondly remembers her time as Rowdy.

"It was fun to have this secret identity," DeArman said. "I only told a few people I was Rowdy during that first year."

She was a sophomore when the university announced teams would be known as Redhawks, and auditions would be held for a new mascot.

DeArman had loved mascots ever since she was 10 years old when her dad would to take her to SEMO football and basketball games. Though they were still known as the Indians, SEMO didn't have a mascot at that time, having retired the Chief Sagamore character in the early 1980s. But DeArman loved watching the other teams' mascots.

"I could not wait until we played Tennessee Tech because their Golden Eagle was hilarious," DeArman said. "I was like, 'I wanna be like that when I grow up.'"

DeArman later became the mascot for her high school and said that experience helped her get a perfect score when she auditioned to be SEMO's new mascot who was still being designed and didn't even have a name yet.

"There were a lot of names thrown out like Rally and Rudy or Roger, and even something random like Charles," DeArman said. "But then someone said Rowdy the Redhawk and it just rolled off the tongue and was perfect."

DeArman still remembers the first time she put on the full Rowdy costume, and said it was "crazy-bonkers" and "super cool" that she was finally realizing the dream she had as a 10-year-old watching the Golden Eagle mascot, only now she was SEMO's Rowdy the Redhawk.

It takes a certain type of personality to be a mascot and DeArman described herself as "kind of a goofball", but she loved people and little kids, so it was just a natural fit. She said she was also aware that being Rowdy meant she was a "goodwill ambassador for the university."

"When you're Rowdy, you're the face of the university and somebody's eye is always on you," DeArman said. "So, you can't be dancing certain ways because you're representing this school."

Trevor Sumpter agrees. He played Rowdy for two years between 2018 and 2020 and said he broke the job into two parts.

"First is to represent the university well. Don't do anything that would throw a bad light or image on SEMO," Sumpter said. "And second is to have fun. I want people to experience all the good things I love about SEMO and have the same exact experience."

Sumpter's Rowdy looked a little different from DeArman's. The suit had undergone a redesign and was more buff and had a feisty grin. Sumpter said he did a lot of training to learn Rowdy's walk and personality.

"Rowdy now has a very big and boisterous walk that he does, kind of a swagger," Sumpter said. "Learning how to take on the suit and how to become Rowdy, do the runs and the jumps like Rowdy would do, how to write his signature. It was a great experience."

Sumpter talked about the physical demands of being Rowdy.

"Just trying to stay physically fit enough to do it — people don't know this, but it gets quite hot in that suit and it gets heavy, especially running around three hours at a time for football games," Sumpter said. "As Rowdy, you're often holding things or lifting cheerleaders, so every day I was training just to be a better mascot."

One of Sumpter's favorite parts of being Rowdy was how excited children got when he showed up.

"Kids love Rowdy a lot. They don't really know he's a mascot, they just love seeing a big bird having fun," Sumpter said. "If you can make someone's day brighter or better and make them smile because you're in the suit, that's really what it's all about."

Sumpter said he liked to make sure everyone felt included when it came to Rowdy, even going so far as to learn a little sign language.

"There were times when kids would sign to me and I thought, 'What better way to connect to the community than to try and do that kind of thing,'" Sumpter said. "I watched some YouTube videos and learned a few signs and just seeing their faces light up when Rowdy would sign back to them was worth the effort."

Sumpter received a bachelor's degree in Corporate Communication in 2020 from SEMO. He still lives in Cape Girardeau and works from home as a senior data analyst for CIELO Talent.

Danielle Hennecke, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hennecke of Cape Girardeau, meets SEMO Red during the annual Southeast Missouri State University homecoming parade Oct. 11, 1985, in downtown Cape Girardeau.Southeast Missourian file

Danielle Hennecke, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hennecke of Cape Girardeau, meets SEMO Red during the annual Southeast Missouri State University homecoming parade Oct. 11, 1985, in downtown Cape Girardeau.Southeast Missourian file

SEMO Red

Before Rowdy, there were other attempts at mascots through SEMO's history and one short-lived favorite was SEMO Red. The mascot was a man with a large head full of bright red hair wearing a SEMO baseball cap. He even has a beer named after him, SEMO Red ale, brewed by Many Good Things Brewing in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Mike Benz became SEMO Red in March 1986 when the men's basketball team went to the NCAA Division II Final Four.

"I was just filling in for the previous guy because he hurt his shoulder and couldn't go," Benz said. "I had no idea what I was doing. I just went out acting goofy, but it was a blast."

Afterward, Benz was chosen as the full-time SEMO Red and he said he was thrilled to take on the new adventure until he graduated in 1988 with a degree in psychology. Today, he lives in Warren County, Missouri, and works as a fleet commercial vehicle sales manager.

"It was fun representing the team and the university and just get everybody pumped up," Benz said. "That's what it was, you know, get out there, have fun saying 'hi' to little kids, goofing around with the pep band and cheerleaders."