Jim Brennan, the original Hawk mascot of St. Joseph’s University and retired nursing home public relations director died Friday, June 21 at 91, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A sophomore in 1955, Brennan raised $120 to purchase a custom-made feathered hawk costume which he wore to games. He flapped his wings as the basketball team’s mascot for three years and a tradition was born.

Brennan became the founding member of what the SJU community deems the Featherhood. More than 60 Hawks have succeeded him.

Brennan was a Marine veteran, enlisting after high school during the Korean War.

After St. Joe’s, Brennan began a career working in nursing homes. In 1970, he became the national director of community and public relations for Washington-based Hillhaven. Invoking his charm and energy, he implemented new programs in nursing homes across the country.

He was a voice for the elderly community. “Ours is a youth-oriented society where there is not much of a place for the elderly . . . We have to educate people,” he said in an interview with Boca Raton News in 1985. 

In 2005, on the 50th anniversary of the Hawk, Brennan said, “Of all the things I’ve ever done and all the awards I’ve ever won, my greatest satisfaction is the concept of the Hawk and knowing I started the tradition.”

Read more about Jim Brennan’s St. Joe’s legacy at The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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The St Joe’s Hawk never stops flapping.