During the day, he goes by Bill. He's the Athletic Facilities Director overseeing the sporting events, working in an office. If I passed him by, I wouldn't have known who he was.
But at the basketball games, he transforms into a giant dragon, cheering on the crowd. He's Sparky the Dragon, found everywhere at the University of Illinois at Chicago from the Daily organizer to the intercampus bus.
The transformation is something similar to that of Superman. According to Bill, just as Superman runs into that phone booth and comes out as a whole new character, he goes in that locker room and comes out as an alter ego.
So how did he get started?
"I [actually] attended UIC back in 1991. Initially, I wanted to be a marine biologist, so I wanted to get bio prerequisites done and transfer to the east coast or west coast," explained Bill.
But something happened in his freshman year to keep him at UIC for all of the undergraduate and graduate studies. As a sports fan, he started showing up at the sporting events, but noted the weak attendance.
He said, "After a while, I became familiar with the athletic heads, and we were talking about how we can increase attendance. We saw the red dragon, and I said, 'I can do that!' It turns out that the girl in the costume was a senior, graduating soon."
What started as a part-time job became a full-time gig in 1992, when he became more involved with the character. That same year, he came up with the name for the dragon-Sparky the Dragon.
"It was a nice way to let go and get away from the studies and academics. It also brought out a different side of me," said Bill. "I wasn't really shy before, but not completely willing to jump out in a heartbeat."
That same passion and pride for the Flame is still present in Bill.
"It usually takes an hour or so for me to come down from that emotional rush after games. There is a natural high, and it comes down in notches," he said.
So what is it like at games? Bill usually goes in two or three hours prior to the games to set up. He does about two routines per game, and tries not to repeat any routines.
Sometimes, there are even rivalries with other mascots. "Once, in the early 90's, I had a friend who worked as the mascot for Northern Illinois University," Bill grinned, as he recollected. "I put my hand out for a handshake before the game, and the Huskie smacked me on the head. Then I put my hand out again, and it smacked me again!"
Defending the Flame pride, he proceeded to playfully beat the Huskie. "It was down on the ground, and I was on top of it, punching it and joking around. As it turns out, my friend wasn't in the costume that day! There was a cheerleader inside the costume!"
But all jokes aside, sometimes he needs to stick to safety zones. "People get inebriated or frustrated, and I get pushed or physically attacked. But once they find that I'm not just a little guy [in a big costume], they back down. It's funny because you see their eyes get big and gasp, once they see that I'm a big guy."
Besides getting attacked by fans, which occurs infrequently, one of the hardest things for him is the heat that gets trapped under the costume. "It wears on you," said Bill, "wearing the costume where it's 110 to 120 degrees inside and running around for two, three hours."
Overall, Bill loves his job and is planning on continuing it for the foreseeable future. Especially with the expansion of the campus housing, student turnout is expected to increase as well.
Also, this year is an exciting year for the men's basketball team, playing many big teams seen on TV. Depending on the team's performance, as many as eleven of the Flame's basketball games will be televised. All home games are free of charge to students, so come on out and show some love for our school.
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