Demon Deacon The Demon Deacon is the mascot of Wake Forest University , a school located in Winston - Salem , North Carolina . Probably best known for its slightly unorthodox name and appearance , the Demon Deacon has become a mainstay in the world of U . S . college mascots . History . The early years and " The Old Gold & Black " . Like most old U . S . universities , the origins of Wake Forest ' s mascot are distinctive , yet somewhat debated . As early as 1895 , Wake Forest College ( as it was called at the time ) was using its colors in athletic competition . The school ' s literary magazine , " The Wake Forest Student , " described them in this manner : During the early part of the 20th century , these colors became more and more associated with the college . Since Wake Forest was founded as a Baptist college , some historians have proposed an association with the Bible , but most people believe their adoption comes from the connection with the original tiger mascot . The tiger mascot stayed with the school for a little more than two decades , but reports indicate that by the early 1920s , the college ' s nicknames were most commonly noted as the " Baptists , " or " The Old Gold & Black . " The first few decades of the 20th century were particularly rough for the Wake Forest athletic squads , but in 1923 , Hank Garrity took the head football and basketball coaching jobs . His leadership gave the school a short relief from its early mediocrity when he led the football team to three consecutive winning seasons , and the basketball team compiled a 33 - 14 combined record in two seasons . In 1923 , the Wake Forest football team defeated rival Trinity ( later renamed Duke University ) . In the following issue of the school newspaper , the editor of the paper , Mayon Parker ( 1924 Wake Forest graduate ) , first referred to the team as " Demon Deacons , " in recognition of what he called their " devilish " play and fighting spirit . Henry Belk , Wake Forest ' s news director , and Garrity liked the title and used it often , so the popularity of the term grew . Mascot . The actual mascot made its first appearance in 1941 . As the " Demon Deacon " terminology became more popular , Jack Baldwin ( 1943 Wake Forest graduate ) took the first step and became the first in the long line of Deacon mascots . Baldwin found an old tuxedo and a top hat , and on the following Saturday , he led the Wake Forest football team onto the field , riding the North Carolina ram . Two years later , when Baldwin graduated , many interested students were willing to continue dressing up as the mascot . Initially , the responsibility to pick new Demon Deacons fell on Baldwin ' s fraternity , but later it broadened to include all students . Today , special tryouts are held annually for new Deacons , but the competition is very intense . Number of years later the mascot continued to be the Demon Deacon but the full body was designed after a legendary fan and student named " Doc " Murphrey . If he wasn ' t going to become a star on the football field , he would become the biggest fan the school had ever seen . " We were playing against Carolina , and the fans started hollering , ' we want Murphrey , we want Murphrey . ' Peahead got tired of it and hollered , ' Murphey come here . ' And I said ' coach , who do I go in for ? ' And he said ' no damn body . They want you and I don ' t want you , so get up there with them . ' I started right then and there being a cheerleader , not really a cheerleader , but just a guy who would get up when you needed somebody to rally the troops . " Memorable mascots . Over the years , the Deacon has performed numerous memorable stunts :