Reporter — Julia Coty
As people fill stadiums and fields to watch sports games, a mysterious figure emerges for a swimmingly good time.
Clothed in his signature blue SJSU tracksuit hoodie and equipped with festive pom-poms, his yellow complexion and beady eyes draw the attention of many people, including the cameras of ESPN.
His presence at games and on social media has evolved him into a campus celebrity. He captures the attention of many and everyone can’t help but wonder who this character is.
Known as Dac the SJSU Duck, his true Spartan identity remains a secret behind his bright yellow duck mask.
Dac is a character created by a fellow SJSU student who wishes to inspire student morale and keep people hyped at athletic events. While his identity remains a secret, he admitted that it isn’t hard to deduce who the person behind the mask is.
“Bro, you’ve never seen a duck before?,” Dac jokingly said.“I’m just a duck that loves going to athletic events here at SJSU.”
Originally from Antioch, Calif., this freshman is majoring in kinesiology and enjoys attending as many Spartan athletic events as possible. As a lover of sports, he made it a goal to attend all, if not most, of the Spartan home games.
“I just like keeping the energy up because there are many times where I show up to games and the crowd is dead, the crowd isn’t giving any energy,” said Dac. “I have nothing against people showing up to events and having fun with their friends talking, but please actually pay attention to the game. Keep the energy up!”
While he played sports all throughout high school, he admits it would have been a dream to play in college. Since he didn’t continue his passion for sports at SJSU, his love for sports has since transcended into a passion of creating bigger energy at athletic events. Since Dac’s premiere debut, he continues to bring joy to many people.
“I thought the idea was too funny to be true at first, but seeing how much fun he has gives me energy,” said Napoleon Lee, a floormate in Dac’s dorm.
Dac is one of many different project characters that has been created. His creative endeavors began during his high school years at Brentwood’s Heritage High School where he would utilize the Instagram account for English projects. Now, the account was revamped specifically for Dac’s first debut at SJSU.
When in his mask, he encounters many questions such as “can you unmask yourself?” As a result, his character has gained traction among different schools and across social media.
“It’s a mixed bag because usually, I walk in with my mask in hand, then I’ll put it on and people are like ‘what the heck, where’d that come from, aren’t you guys the San Jose State Spartans, not ducks’,” said Dac. “That’s a pretty common reaction that I get.”
While many people might think of wild presumptions and hope for crazy answers, the answer everyone seeks is quite simple. The unnamed Spartan fanatic simply likes ducks.
Another interesting tidbit about this mysterious SJSU student is that he actually has ducks at home. He loves raising his ducklings and is proud to show off pictures of his pets.
“It seemed kinda random at first but the origin of the duck came from the fact that it was October, it was Halloween, so I wondered what I should dress up as,” said Dac. “I am obsessed with ducks, my name basically has ‘duck’ in it so I think that’s a big giveaway.”
Living on campus, this mysterious character doesn’t sneak around in the shadows to avoid detection. In fact, he’s nonchalant about people who might see his mask in hand but loves to bring the shock factor to games when he masks up. He admits that some Spartans in his dorm building know his true identity.
“Yeah, there are definitely a couple players who already found out who I am. I’m not really trying to hide it all that much but at the same time, I’m not going to do a big reveal,” said Dac.
This unique character was also inspired by the different things he noticed at sporting events. From the quiet crowds lacking energy to fans wearing gorilla masks to attract attention, Dac figured that this quirky mystery might prove to be useful at SJSU events.
“I see people get into NFL games or stuff like that with gorilla masks, who are really passionate and, like, show up and have fun so that’s what I wanted to do,” said Dac. “Wearing a duck mask brings attention to me but also pumps up the crowd more”
Aside from the inquiring glances and questions, the reaction to Dac has been nothing short of deserving. His presence at home games not only gets the crowd excited but he also attracts the attention of the opposing team. At a recent game against Utah state’s women’s volleyball, the opposing players couldn’t help but point and stare at Dac among the fans.
“The first time I did this, show up as the SJSU Duck, was at the homecoming game against SDSU and people were sitting behind me like ‘wait,you have a full athletic track suit, are you an athletic player, by chance?’”
Among his peers, Dac embraces the energy and camaraderie that his presence brings. This character wasn’t created for selfish reasons or publicity, but solely to be a part of SJSU’s student spirit.
“It’s so unique and we have too much fun,” said Nathan Vue. “I love the idea.”
Vue is Dac’s spotter, the person who acts as his second pair of eyes because the duck mask only has two small holes in the bill, making it difficult for clear vision. He also helps Dac navigate when going up stairs or walking through crowds.
“He lets me know if someone is trying to get my attention or if a little kid wants a high five,” said Dac. “I put my hand on their shoulders and they guide me.”
At the hatching of Dac’s character, he briefly dealt with nervousness but he quickly embodied the fun that the mask allowed him to bring.
“I was definitely nervous, I thought about it too, ‘wait, why am i wearing a duck mask’ but I got myself into it,” said Dac. “So the first time was nervous for me but the second time was cool, I wanted to show up to games and have the time of my life.”
Dac keeps his Instagram active and constantly updates his followers with game stats. Aside from Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, Dac has considered growing his platform to Youtube.
“I was thinking about, what if I should expand to game day blogs, like games with SJSU Duck,” said Dac. “Maybe in the future I’ll think further on it.”
For now, Dac enjoys attending SJSU home games and hopes that more people will come to the games and do whatever brings more spirit and energy.
“If it brings energy to athletic games, go for it,” said Dac. “Spartan up.”