Past and present Big Blues recount experiences

To Utah State University’s 13 previous mascots, being Big Blue is much more than dancing halftime entertainment.

To those select 13 and to some in the Logan community, Big Blue represents the character and legacy of a 127-year-old college. .

“He’s an icon for Utah State,” said Jonas Harmon, the 2006-2007 Big Blue. “He represents the pride, the energy, the legacy and traditions of the school. He’s my daughter’s idol.”

The Big Blue tradition began in 1987 when John Mortensen, the assistant vice president of USU Student Services, purchased a bulky bull costume that would later prove to be a disappointment.

“It arrived as royal blue,” said Linda Zimmerman, the executive director of the student involvement office . “At the time, Brigham Young University was royal blue. It didn’t go over very well with the student body.”

Faculty put the costume into a closet for two years until 1989 when a transfer student from Ricks College arrived at Utah State and begged to be taken as the new Big Blue.

“I don’t even know how many times he called us, but it was enough that we finally said, ‘All right. We’ll just take the kid,'” Zimmerman said. “So we pulled that suit out of the closet. And it was like the minute we put him in it, Big Blue came to life.”

Big Blue has since been making appearances everywhere from wedding proposals to retirement parties to funerals.

“Pretty much anything you can think of, he’s probably done it,” said Nicole Troumbley, the spirit squad coach.

Big Blue, however, is much more than a novelty guest.

Zimmerman remembers a visit she and Harmon made to a 4-year-old cancer patient in Dec. 2006.

“We got a call from the president’s office that there was a little boy who was battling stage four cancer, so they asked us to go visit him,” she said. “We were probably there at least an hour at the house, and [Big Blue] was just playing with him. Their connection together was amazing. And then we left the house and got into the car. A lot of times in our small little cars, they have to take their head off. But [Harmon] refused to remove his head. And the next thing I could hear was him just crying.”

Now a professional BMX racer, Harmon still remains in contact with the family and the boy, who made a full recovery. As a thank-you gift for his visit, they gave him a bracelet, which he still wears to this day.

“I recently had knee surgery, and they made me take it off,” Harmon said. “That was the first time I’ve taken it off since 2006. I’ve worn it everywhere — Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, Poland and Germany. I’ve worn it all over the world.”

The job not only requires emotional resilience, but also impeccable time management and a mind for creative excuses.

“You get good at changing the subject or avoiding certain questions,” said this year’s Big Blue, who declined to give his name for privacy reasons. “Friends ask me all the time [why I’m so busy], so I just tell them the truth, that I work for the Spirit Squad. But I do have a whole file of excuses to choose from.”

For Harmon, keeping a secret identity was a challenge. A member of Sigma Chi, he frequently had to dodge questions from his friends and fraternity brothers about where he spent his time.

“I rode my bike a couple of times as Big Blue,” he said. “A lot of people would send me text messages asking about it, and I’d be like, ‘No, I’m actually out of town.’ I almost minored in lying.”

Despite the time constraints and the constant need for excuses, both Harmon and the current Big Blue agree that the opportunity is incredibly rewarding.

“It’s a huge honor and responsibility, and something that I think about every day,” Big Blue said. “It is very humbling, but I love that I get to represent such an amazing school and legacy. There’s a lot of adrenaline for sure, but there’s a great sense of responsibility because of what Big Blue stands for.”

— h.mickeyd@gmail.com