How Tusk Came to Be an Arkansas Icon and the Men Who Made it Happen

Stokes family will apparently continue tradition, but deserve appreciation even if they change minds

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – If Sam Pittman is to be believed, the Stokes family will have Tusk, the beloved Arkansas live mascot, at Razorback games this year despite the recent death of his primary caregiver, Keith Stokes. If so, it will be the continuation of a tradition that began with a moment of disgust all the way back when David Bazzel was a fresh-faced linebacker for the Hogs in the early '80s.

"I went to Coach Broyles after I had done the Broyles Award and I said 'Coach, we need to restart the Razorback mascot program because when I was a freshman, I never will forget it, there was a little bitty trailer and it said Big Red on it," Bazzel told the Little Rock Touchdown Club last week. "And I looked inside as we were walking up, it was game day, and it had like a pink pig in there and he was laying on his side and he was sleeping and there were fleas all over it. It was a duroc. So, I told my buddy at the time, I said that's embarassing. Is that our mascot? I'm not from here. That's Big Red? So I made a note." 

Broyles was in a particularly good mood one day after the success of the Broyles Award, so he handed Bazzel free reign to come up with other ideas to boost the program. Not long after, the Golden Boot trophy became a thing for the LSU game. With that also being viewed as a hit, it was time to address an issue that simply wouldn't escape the eager alumnus.

"I said 'Coach, I want to start a live mascot program," Bazzel said. "I want to get us back to where we've got a fierce razorback. So, he said 'Go for it David.' 

Now that he'd opened his mouth, Bazzel now had to find someone who not only had access to Russian boars, but was willing to train and transport one with minimal financial support. Eventually, he tracked down Stokes, a loyal fan who reportedly spent his time in the lumber business who owned a farm in Dardanelle and was willing to put in the time to make this happen for the university.

"He did this because he loved the Hogs, and he would spend hours hands-on with these wild animals to make them domesticated so you could walk up and feed them a grape and they wouldn't bite you," Bazzel said. 

However, the job came to entail a lot more than simply making sure Tusk didn't rip the SEC Network's Marty Smith's fingers off on live TV during an SEC Nation visit. It became an exhausting exercise on game days.

"I will tell you there will never be anybody like him," Bazzel said. "Just like a Darren McFadden, there's certain guys who are just the greatest of all time. He set the bar so high because he would give, on game day, 18 hours. Get up at 3 o'clock in the morning, clean up the trailer, get up to Fayetteville, sit out there shake hands and say the same stories over again and over again. 'How much does it weigh?' 'When was it born?' Then get home after the game at 11 o'clock at night. Nobody saw it. That's what to me is commitment."

But that dedication didn't simply extend to the university. Stokes' supreme loyalty was always to Tusk. It didn't matter how far up the Arkansas administrative mountain someone was, the animals he cared for over the years took precedence.

"Nobody was more fiercely loyal," Bazzel said. "He was the nicest guy on the planet, but if Tusk wasn't being given the respect that he [expected], he would be fiercely angry with Hunter, or Elvis or Jeff or Frank or whoever." 

There's a video that was shown at the Touchdown Club that was filmed to highlight how Stokes prepped Tusk ahead of the Texas game that was refashioned into more or less an in memorium video. It starts at approximately the 37:50 mark. In it, the special relationship between Stokes and Tusk is easily seen. He's taken an animal that many fear and it follows him around and rolls on his belly like a family dog. When it's time to be bathed in a special elephant wash Stokes was gifted by a fan, the giant boar leans back and enjoys the moment with his handler. 

If the Stokes family decides at some point they don't want to go through everything that is involved in getting Tusk to the game and all the hassle that comes once he's there, no one can blame them and there shouldn't be the slightest hint of anger or frustration. They have given more than enough to the state of Arkansas while asking very little in return. 

For nearly 30 years, the state has been represented by one of the greatest live mascots in all of college sports thanks to the Stokes' sacrifice and hard work. It's a long way from a sloppy flea covered pink pig in a cage. And for that, much thanks is in order. 

So, out of respect for what Keith Stokes did for the state, thank you for the joy you brought so many children and fans across the state. May God be with your family no matter what choices have to be made as the season goes on. Your service to the state is much appreciated.

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