Unsung Hero of UNH - The Students Beneath the Mascot Suits

Beneath the Suit: Wild E. Cat and Gnarlz

By Ella Nilsen and Travis Harsin

Go to any University of New Hampshire sports event and you can’t miss them.  Gnarlz and Wild E. Cat, the two UNH mascots, are everywhere, interacting with fans, leading the student sections in cheers, and generally getting everyone riled up.  They are perhaps the best-known faces of UNH.

But who are Gnarlz and Wild E. Cat, really?

Inside the mascot suits are two UNH students.  Because Athletics must keep the identities of these two students a secret, their names have been changed.  However, what can be disclosed is that they are two boys of junior class standing and are currently the only two students who are the mascots.  ‘Alex’ is over six feet tall. Big and muscular, he’s physically similar to the mascot he portrays.  ‘John’ is shorter, but also quite muscular and fit.

Although both enjoy the work they do, each student was recruited under different circumstances.  John first became aware of the program through Facebook in his freshman year.

“They (Athletics) were doing something on Facebook,” he said.  “I saw that, and was like; ‘Oh, that could be interesting,’ and I went to talk to them. From there, I tried one out at the end of my freshmen year, I did a bunch last year, and am doing basically everything this year.”

Alex, on the other hand, began his role as a quick replacement for the original mascot.  According to him, his height was key to getting the position.

“My roommate at the time was in the Cat Crew [a team of students who do promotions for Athletics], and they needed someone to cover some games,” he said.  “Gnarlz has a 6 foot height limit, so they said, ‘We need someone who’s tall enough.’” 

Fortunately for Athletics, Alex had always wanted to try out for the role. While the original Gnarlz entertained the audience at games, Alex took notes.

“I had my phone out and in the notepad section I had three pages of notes on just what to do for a hockey game,” he said. 

The mascots have a full schedule before games.  They get dressed, and have about an hour’s worth of time interacting with the fans and athletes. “It’s all specifically set up to make sure we’re covering all the spots in a timely manner, getting everything done,” said Alex. 

Both mascots cover a variety of UNH sports, and while each one shows up at the football and men’s hockey games, they are often divided between different UNH sports.

“I do football, women’s hockey, men’s hockey, women’s basketball and gymnastics.  And Gnarlz does football, men’s hockey, men’s basketball, and we switch off gymnastics,” John said.

Out of all of them, the one sport that both mascots love to perform at is hockey, especially when UNH is paired up against the University of Maine.

“The Maine hockey games are always one of the best…some of the best fun,” John said.

“It’s just pure adrenaline,” said Alex.  “You just step out and everyone starts screaming.”

Photo credit to UNH Athletics.