Hi there! I’m Norm, Huntington’s very own Forester—born on January 11, 1929, right here in beautiful Huntington, Indiana. I stand somewhere between 5'7" and 6 feet tall (depends on how puffy my boots are)! I’m a superfan of every sport ever invented, but my heart beats HU green for the Huntington University Foresters. Speaking of green—yep, that’s my favorite color, naturally. When I’m not cheering on the Foresters, you’ll probably catch me chopping wood (responsibly!) or performing elite-level air guitar—but never at the same time... trust me, we tried. Once. So enjoy learning about HU for me, and come to campus to meet me sometime!! I’ll bring the energy (and maybe the air guitar).
Norm the Forester is our trusty mascot at Huntington University!
Fun facts:
Nickname: Norm
Birth Date: 1/11/1929
Hometown: Huntington, IN
Height: Between 5’7 and 6’
Weight: 15 lbs to 200 lbs
Favorite Sport: All of them
Favorite Team: Huntington University Foresters
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Song: Woodchopper's Ball
Favorite Movie: Finding Forester
Favorite TV Show: The Axemen
Hobbies: Chopping wood and air guitar (but not together of course!)
History of Norm the Forester:
The name Foresters originated in 1928 and was a term coined by local sports writer “Cash” Keller. The Jan. 11, 1929, issue of the Huntingtonian says that Keller “received the inspiration for the name 'Foresters' by watching the H.C. (basketball) squad dash on the floor in Lincoln green and scarlet. This reminded him of the famed 'Robin Hood' and his greed clad 'Foresters.' Sports writers were attracted by the originality of this new name.”
The first time a team was called “Foresters” was by the Mnemosyne (the yearbook) in 1931.
Keller, who was employed by the Huntington Herald at the time left shortly afterward for another newspaper job in Washington, Indiana. He returned to Huntington to coach the Huntington College basketball team in 1934-35.
The mascot was created in 1966 as a result of a contest by then dean of students, Richard Hassan. He was originally just the “Huntington College Forester.” He looked quite different from his present appearance.
In fall 1993, another contest was created to name the mascot and as a result he was christened “Norm” by Doris King Goble.
