Spanglish for Wolf: A Lobo Origin Story (Abridged)
by Hakim Bellamy, MA ‘14

1.
Over 100 years ago,
circa 1920,
editor of the school paper and football team student manager
George S. Bryan wrote something to the effect of
“Other schools have mascots, we should have one too…”
Likely because we didn’t exactly strike fear
in the hearts of the men when our squad showed up as
the “Varsities” …
…or the even less intimidating
“University Boys.”

In the first October installment of the student newspaper,
then called the U.N.M. Weekly,
Bryan memorialized his argument
for a stronger name.

"The Lobo is respected for his cunning, feared for his prowess, and is the leader of the pack,
All together now; 15 rahs for the LOBOS.”

2.
At birth,
lobo pups cannot see nor hear.

Lobo parents, faculty and staff dig dens
to protect from hungry predators and extreme temperatures.

With or without flatscreens
these dens (sometimes lairs) serve as a safe place to whelp, help, nurse and raise
their precious pups.

‘til this day,
Lobos live and love by the old high desert proverb
“It takes a den to raise a pack.”

3.
Circa late “Roaring” 20s,
a well to-do alumnus thought it’d be a good idea
to find a living wolf
to serve as the very first Lobo for the University.

After which it was also decided
to give the custodial responsibility
of this very live lobo… to the cheerleaders.

Inevitably, a child
(as children are wont to do)
teased the living mascot.

Consequently, the lobo
(as live animals are wont to do … especially when taunted)
bit the child.

Subsequently, one of the two
was put down.

4.
A typical human trimester lasts anywhere from 12 - 14 weeks.
On the shorter end, that’s 84 days.
Minus the weekends, it’s a work week,
meaning 60 or so days.
A lobo pregnancy, on average, lasts 63.
And that’s what we typically call

a semester.

5.
In the wild
Lobo vocalizations come in four categories:
whimpering, barking, growling, and howling.

Never one to hibernate,
only found silent when hunting
or sleeping,
it is ill-advised to startle and sleep on us,
to confuse our quiet for weakness.

Our totem
means survival,
in gray areas we thrive,
the only breed of lobo
that is impossible to extinct.

6.
The only NCAA Division I athletic program with a pair of werewolves for a mascot,
Louis and Lucille Lobo were anthropomorphized into being
in the 60s and 80s, respectively.
More superpower than curse,
we Lobos have an uncanny ability to go Teen Wolf
without the presence of a full moon.

7.
In stark contrast to the pup,
the adult lobo possesses the exceptional ability
to see

in the dark.

Their eye structure
and ability to intake information
has been described as “seeing the world faster”
than we humans do.

Far from deaf,
the grown up lobo can hear
as far as six miles away in the forest
and as much as 10 miles away

on the open mesa.

8.
Wolf biologists
have found
that it is common
for wolves to disperse
when they reach the age of sexual maturity.

UNM biologists
have found
that Lobo pups are more likely
to find academic success
when they keep their dispersions

to a minimum.

9.
Although Lobos do not migrate
they have been known to travel as much as 550 miles from their natal pack…

That’s as far as Oklahoma City to the east.
Las Vegas, Nevada to the west.
Salt Lake City, Utah to the north.
And Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico to the south.

Here,
we simply refer to that as
“going away to college.”

10.
“L” stands for Legend, Lobo, Liar and Loser…
and there are no losers here.

There are no less than nine lobo statues on this campus.
Do not become one.

Keep it moving.

Every history has holes in it,
including this one,
so do your homework.

And remember
that lobos do so much more than just howl
and bite.

They bark
and roar
and rah…

So let’s hear it for the Lobos
Fifteen times

Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah
Rah

yeah you are.


© Hakim Bellamy August 14th, 2023