CC in the Media - Drew Davis ’15 Featured in “The ‘Ville

Drew Davis ‘15 featured in The ‘Ville

SPARTY ON! Northville’s Davis completes 4-year run as MSU’s beloved mascot

reprinted with permission - The ‘Ville - June 2019 - www.thevillemagazine.com

During his four years attending Michigan State University, Northville’s Drew Davis had a pretty unique vantage point of the MSU landscape – through the enormous eyes of Sparty. He is part of a select group of students to play the role of MSU’s buff, fist-pumping mascot well known for firing up fans at Spartan football and basketball games.

Over the course of his four years on campus, Davis, 22, served as Sparty at more than 300 events all over the country. It was a dream job for the third generation Spartan, who has always been a huge MSU fan growing up in Northville.

One of Drew’s final events as Sparty was traveling to Northville’s Winchester Elementary School as part of March is Reading Month, earlier this spring. He strutted through the same halls he once walked through as a young student, greeting and inspiring today’s students at Winchester.

The ‘Ville caught up with Drew, a 2015 Catholic Central grad, to discuss his experiences as Sparty and what the future holds.

The ’Ville: How and why did you decide to don the Sparty character?

Drew: During my summer orientation, I talked to someone within the Alumni Association (the department that Sparty is under) and asked them about trying out. The person working the orientation table gave me some info and his contact information. That first fall in college, he asked if I was able to help “escort” Sparty (which means to help take Sparty to events) and I did that a few times before the application opened up. Once it did, I applied, went through a few interviews, went through a “try-on” process where I got to try the suit on and made sure I wasn’t claustrophobic, and it was still something I wanted to do.

Finally, the “try-out” part was about 30 minutes where you are put through some scenarios, like dancing with a bride at her wedding or dealing with drunk fans, then they’ll play some music to make sure you can somewhat dance, test your creativity with some props they’ll have out, and lastly have you perform a skit that you’ve prepared. All of this is with the suit on while past Spartys and other people within the program judge you. I either wowed them with some dance moves or they just felt bad for me because I made it. I actually got the email saying I made it while I was in Disney World of all places.

Northville native Drew Davis ‘15 (above right) after graduating from MSU, along with the Sparty mascot and Spartan statue on campus in East Lansing. Davis played the role of Sparty for four years, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated (right).

The ’Ville: How many times did you play Sparty?

Drew: I was Sparty for over 300 events. I actually have a journal of every event I did. Most people just see Sparty at athletic events but, in reality, that’s only a small portion of what Sparty does. In addition to a lot of awesome athletic events like bowl games and Final Fours, I’ve also been to weddings, wedding proposals, hospitals, schools, parades, retirement/birthday parties, fundraisers and marathons, bar mitzvahs, photoshoots, business meetings, tailgates, golf outings, funerals (yes funerals), and even some miscellaneous events like being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, ringing in the Nasdaq closing bell, Good Morning America, and commercials to name a few others.

“I’d say I’m a mix of extroverted and introverted, but Sparty definitely brought out the extroverted side of me. I could never do everything I did as Sparty if it was just me with no costume. I think it’s because no one knows it’s you in there so you’re more willing to be crazy without worrying about embarrassing yourself.” - Drew Davis ’15

The ’Ville: When you’re in the costume do you feel like you’ve taken on another identity?

Drew: Absolutely! The more events I did the better I got at it, but it feels like you have a switch you can just turn on and become this other person. You’ll have bad days where you don’t want to perform but you just have to drop it all before getting in suit and be a different person.

It’s comparable to how I imagine Batman would feel because I’d Drew Davis ‘15 as Sparty with MSU get in suit and have people run up football coach Mark Dantonio and beg for pictures like you’re the coolest person ever. Then, after the event, I’d get out of suit and walk by people, who a few minutes ago were dying to get a picture, like nothing happened.

The ’Ville: How does Sparty rank with the other mascots?

Drew: I might be biased but I certainly think he’s the best. With that said there’s a lot of great mascots out there. It’s funny because you actually become friends with other people you mascot with from other schools. The Big Ten mascots are all pretty close, but I’ve met some great people across the country during my time as Sparty. Along with

Sparty, I’d put The Oregon Duck, Minnesota’s Goldy Gopher, and Ohio State’s Brutus the Buckeye on my mount Rushmore of college mascots.

The ’Ville: Did the kids freak out at Winchester when you visited? Did it feel like you had gone full circle?

Drew: Actually, they were some of the most well-behaved kids I’ve seen out of all the schools I’ve been to. They were great though. I always love seeing MSU fans get excited when Sparty comes around, but also love seeing the U of M kids boo you or give you a thumbs down. Michigan fans are always fun to mess with and actually want just as many pictures as MSU fans.

It was definitely a surreal feeling coming back to the school you started at when you’re about to graduate. The teachers at Winchester rock so it was great seeing them and the school from the different perspective within the suit. Everything still felt smaller, though.

The ’Ville: OK, we’ve got to ask, is it hot in there?

Drew: Yes! That’s one of the most asked questions along with, “where do you see?” and “can we get one more picture?” The Sparty suit is about 30 degrees warmer on the inside than the outside temperature. That heat, in addition to the more than 30 pounds of added weight, makes the cold football games no one wants to be at the most enjoyable compared to scorching summer parades.

The ’Ville: Are there any more mascots in your future? What are your future plans?

Drew: As much as I loved being Sparty, I haven’t pursued any professional mascot positions. Starting near the end of summer, I’ll be working in sales with the third-party logistics company C.H. Robinson in Auburn Hills.