Lehigh University Athletics
The Mountain Hawk gets a name
11/25/2008 8:45:00 AM | Athletics
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Since its inception in 1995, the Lehigh Mountain Hawk mascot was without a name, but that is no longer the case. On Wednesday, November 19, a name and identity was bestowed upon Lehigh’s mascot at the student rally, Lehigh-Laf-a-palooza. The winged ambassador of spirit will forever be known as Clutch. "It really lent itself to branching out into different realms," Dale Townsend, Lehigh’s group sales and promotions manager told The Brown and White, Lehigh’s student newspaper. "Lehigh students and athletes perform well in the clutch,” Townsend explained. “It's also very fitting because the Mountain Hawk, being a bird of prey, hunts by clutching its prey in its talons.”
The naming process began in late August, when Lehigh Athletics began compiling an ultimate suggestion list of possible names for the Mountain Hawk. Over 1,000 suggestions of all types poured in. The initial phase involved the collection of names from Lehigh University students, alumni, faculty/staff, fans and students from four elementary schools in the Bethlehem Area School District.
During the months of October and November, the suggested names were narrowed down to a final list of five, by a committee consisting of Lehigh students and Athletic staff members. The final five included: Southclaw, Mo, Louie, Steel, and the winning suggestion, Clutch.
The name Clutch was suggested for a number of reasons, including it has LU in the spelling, it is a short and easy name for children to remember, and it offered plenty of potential for growth. “It allows for the mascot performers to develop a more distinct character for the Mountain Hawk,” Townsend said. “It creates a better identity for the mascot.”
Fans can purchase official Clutch t-shirts at the Lehigh University Bookstore, as well as at home basketball games and wrestling matches and on-line at Lehigh.bncollege.com.
Interior photograph 2008, (c) Specialty Photographic
Homepage photograph 2008, (c) Nick Anshant '11
