Make Way For Mookie

Mookie the Mustang, MHS’ mascot, was not around during the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID health guidelines, making it almost two years since students have seen the mascot.

“I brought him out during a game and the crowd absolutely loved him,” Senior Nick Jensen, Stang Gang leader, said. “He makes the games so much more fun and the crowd enjoys it way more when he is in attendance.” 

Jensen acknowledged the lack of mascots at high school football games. 

“Whenever you go to a high school football game you rarely see a mascot, but when you come to Marquette, you may see Mookie,” Jensen said. “It makes us stand out more.”

Mookie, the Mustang mascot who usually makes an appearance a few times a year, was named by Zach Ide, Class of 1996. Ide was co-editor in chief of the Messenger and a member of Mustang Council (MUCO).

Ide had a mostly satirical segment in the newspaper called “Mustang and Me,” and in the November 1994 issue, he wrote about the school and its students including the idea of a mascot name. 

“I wish that I could say that the name Mookie was somewhat motivated by school spirit. It really was just me being snarky,” Ide said. 

Ide, who was going through a baseball phase, recommended the name “Mookie,” inspired by the former Met’s centerfielder, Mookie Wilson. 

“I loved Mookie. I was really proud of the part I played in naming Mookie,” Ide said. “To be honest, I’m still a bit proud of it. I think the Mustang Council did a great job with it.”

To become Mookie now, students nust express an interest to Freshman Principal Dr. Dan Ramsey and then tryout for the role. 

“After a thorough vetting and consideration, we move the best people forward, “ Dr. Ramsey said. 

Dr. Ramsey said Mookie shows up mostly at football games and pep rallies. 

Yet, Mookie made his first appearance at a varsity basketball game against Mehlville on Jan. 12, 1996. Unlike the Mookie students see today, Mookie at that time was a plain brown horse with a black mane. 

The first ever Mookie was James Blake, Class of 1996. He didn’t intend on becoming Mookie, but heard tryouts were occurring and gave it a shot. 

“I put the costume on and managed to complete a cartwheel in that large horse head. The rest is history,” Blake said. “I loved my experience. It’s a great memory of mine.”

Blake said he’d mostly join in with the cheerleaders.

“When there were breaks in the game, I tried to go into the stands to interact with little kids and any students I could sense weren’t interested,” Blake added. 

In the fall of 2017, Mookie transformed into a more muscular horse with a navy blue and green mane and an M tattooed on his biceps. 

The colors of Mookie’s mane, green and navy blue, are MHS’ school colors that were chosen by a committee of mostly students alongside faculty and parents who came together before the school opened in the fall of 1993. The incoming students for the new high school, students from Selvidge and Crestview Middle School, then finalized these decisions.

Hannah Clampitt, Class of 1996, remembers that a student proposed teal and purple for the school colors because of the NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, which was popular back then. 

“Most people were against that idea because it felt very trendy,” Clampitt said. 

The chosen colors kelly green, white and navy blue don’t have any significant meaning and were purely chosen for aesthetics. 

“The blue, green and white felt really classic, and it was different from the Lafayette colors,” Clampitt said. 

Out of Cavaliers, Hornets, Mavericks, Mustangs and Trailblazers, a Mustang was chosen by the group because it started with M like MHS. 

“The group liked the alliteration of the M’s,” Clampitt said. “It seemed like a pretty neutral mascot in terms of not being connected to trendy suggestions.”