Louie the Lumberjack has a rich history and a significant impact on NAU and the Flagstaff community. Being a mascot is much more than parading around at sporting events in a bulky, sweaty costume. This hairy, muscular logger with a foam ax became the face of NAU.

     Louie was named in 1988 after the song “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen. The character and appearance of Louie has changed dramatically over the years. In 1928, Louie was portrayed as a real man. In 1953, there was a Lumber Jill who accompanied Louie and from 1958 onward, Louie appeared in cartoon form.

   “There was one Louie that everyone rejected, the mean Louie. It didn’t last long, the ax-murderer effect” Sean Evans, NAU Special Collections and Archives historian said.

     The mean Louie lasted five years and was replaced in 2010.

     Louie isn’t the only symbol of school spirit.

     “In the ‘40s and ‘50s, freshman men were forbidden to shave until homecoming, and it was about who had the biggest beard,” said Evans.

     In addition to sporting rugged facial hair, freshman men were required to wear a yellow and blue beanie. They could be stopped randomly by a member of the Chain Gang and asked to perform the school song or motto. The Chain Gang is still existent today and is a university club that works closely with Louie to enforce the tradition, values and spirit of NAU.

      The original totem of NAU was a heavy copper ax that was respectfully brought to all major school events. One night, after NAU beat ASU in a football game, a group of angry Sun Devil’s broke into the dean’s office and stole the copper ax.

     “As punishment, the dean painted the students blue and made them walk downtown” said Evans.

    Flagstaff used to have five lumber mills including the Ayer Lumber Company, Green Law Mill and Stone Forest Industries to name a few. The iconography of the lumberjack was popularized by the existence of these mills. Visitors will find images of the lumberjack throughout the historic downtown area and the university itself. The bronze lumberjack that stands in front of the University Union was created by William Barney, a local student and bronze craftsman.

     “The story goes that he took pictures of himself in the mirror and used himself as a model to make that image,” said Evans.

      But, the Union Lumberjack isn’t the only one on campus. The 22-foot-tall fiberglass lumberjack statues that appear in front and inside the Skydome were created in the Pacific Northwest. There was a café that ordered a lumberjack statue to be placed outside of the restaurant, but the business later backed out of buying the statue. The owner of the company was determined to sell the statue, so he hauled it in a trailer down Route 66 until he reached the Lumberjack Café. The café owners fell in love with the statue and bought it immediately. Weeks later they ordered another. When the Lumberjack Café was sold, the new owners donated the statues to NAU.

     There are currently three NAU student actors who play the role of Louie. All current actors are freshmen and there have only been four female Louie actors in history. The identity of the actors cannot be revealed. This rule helps preserve the mystery and masculinity of the character.

One actor said that being Louie has had a positive effect on her college experience.

     “It allows me to be myself and come to all the games. I have a bond with so many different teams,” she said.

 The most difficult part of the job is the hot-suit, especially in the winter when the heat is cranked up in the Sky Dome.

     “It can definitely take a toll on your body” said one of the Louie actors.

      The costume of Louie consists of three layers. Actors must have good stamina and learn to monitor their breathing in the suit. Louie always has a handler who walks with him and directs him because it is difficult to see out of the mesh eye holes. During football season, actors are often required to be in the suit for up to eight hours. 

     “I love seeing all the faces and how excited fans get” said a Louie actor.

    “The actors of Louie are the happiest people you will ever meet” Tyler Carr, Graduate Assistant for Marketing and NAU Athletics said.

     Carr schedules weekly meetings for the Louie crew and helps the actors develop new storylines. During the meetings actors discuss how to use props, what aspects of performance are going well and what needs improvement.

Louie is not just an icon of NAU, he is so popular that even little children prefer him over Santa.

     “When I brought Louie to Little America he went and sat with Santa and the kids were screaming ‘Louie! Louie!’, and everyone left the Santa line to come take pictures with Louie. People were handing over their babies for Louie to hold. Everything is changing with these new Louies. Their kind of taking on the role a little bit more and trying new things by looking at people in the pros,” said Carr.