If you’ve been to a JA Raider athletic event (and who hasn’t?), you have glimpsed a gray figure that seems quiet and still amid the raucousness of pep rallies and games. Mr. Wolf, who accompanies the boys spirit team known as the Rowdies, is a stalwart supporter of the Raiders. But why?
What we know about the elusive Mr. Wolf is this. He is in his third season as a Rowdy pack member. He adopted the Rowdies during Will Mann’s senior year in 2019. According to Mann, Mr. Wolf came along when the class needed him the most. “Classes before us had always had flags or something that Rowdies carried to represent them. Mr. Wolf came to me and my friends right before school started, and when I presented the idea everyone agreed, and with that, Mr Wolf was created. Mr Wolf was the representation of the animal inside of all of us but what animal he represented for you was for you to decide.”
Since that time Mr. Wolf has followed different Rowdies home; this past season, his den was at 2020 graduate Cyrus Manning’s house. He made appearances on campus every Friday and sometimes randomly in a class on other days. “It felt really good to see how many people wanted to see, touch, or take a picture with him. Younger students get ecstatic about it. They love it,” Manning said.
Mr. Wolf is passed down each year to the next grade for caretaking. A snappy dresser, Mr. Wolf donned a jaunty top hat for Gold Gold week and a tie for homecoming 2020, where he stood on the field at a respectful distance as the homecoming queen was crowned.
Mr. Wolf adds an interesting storyline for the Rowdy spirit team and helps the Rowdies do their part to keep Raider fans energized during JA’s athletic contests. Head of Upper School and Rowdy adviser Steve McCartney sees the Rowdies’ contributions this way: “There’s no question that the Rowdies are a perennial favorite on our campus for our student body. With seemingly unending energy, these boys bring a flair to every event that they attend.”
Mr. Wolf definitely adds his own bit of flair. He recently experienced an unexpected crisis, but came back stronger than before.
The 2020-21 Rowdies
Turner Easley
Jack Varner
Ford Hudson
Rob Mahaffey
Branson Tadlock
Ethan Hill
Grant Dean
Michael Hogue
Michael Lowe
James Smith
Garner Hixon
McNeill Dinkins
Tristan Foster
Coleman Dinkins
Reese Van Skiver
Locke Danley
Nicholas Bryan
Thomas Arnold
Rett Stanley
Aden Lang
Jude Reeves
Bryant Seago
Emery Thigpen
Connor Bailey
