Nearly everyone at Saint Louis University has seen him at one time or another. He can be spotted waving and handing out flyers around campus, and making appearances and posing for pictures at important SLU events. He gets SLU sports fans pumped at games and encourages them to cheer their teams on to victory. Yet, few know this maked man’s identity.

Sophomore Lucas Nelson has been the man in the Billiken suit since the fall of 2006.

Nelson said realizing his calling to become the Billiken came as a sudden inspiration.

“I was at a SLU basketball game, and I thought it was just the coolest thing,” he said. “I thought it would be really exciting to be a mascot and be involved in all that.”

Being the mascot is more than just dancing around in a suit. SLU has stringent requirements when hiring a prospective Billiken. Nelson said that the ideal Billiken is athletic, unafraid to go out and make a fool of him or herself in front of thousands of people and is a supporter of the athletic program, not to mention tough enough to handle the heat in the costume.

Eric Luchetti, manager of event operations for athletics, spoke of Lucas’ enthusiasm and dedication.

“He’s an extremely stand-up individual,” Luchetti said.

In fact, recently he was given the opportunity to intern on an exclusive basis. He’s in charge of running a sports highlights page on the SLU athletic website along with his mascot responsibilities. He’s responsible, trustworthy and always ready to help us out when we need it. He’s just a good kid and he does a great job.”

When it comes to appearing at SLU basketball games, Nelson is willing to endure a lot for his team, including close calls with angry fans.

“Most people are pretty nice, but I’ve had a couple of times when fans have screamed at me to get away, and, sometimes, I made the coaching staff angry when I was around,” he said. “There’s always some fan who thinks I’m blocking his view.”

He said he also tends to make little kids cry. Still, there are dozens of pictures of him on Facebook being kissed by girls and giving “bro hugs” to fellow guys. Being the Billiken also comes with special privileges.

“I get on TV a lot, that’s pretty cool,” he said. “People get a kick out of that. Being on the court during the games is pretty cool, too. Best seats in the house.”

Despite that, he said the heat in the costume is the hardest part of his job to endure.

“It’s really, really hot in there,” he said. “I sweat a ton when I’m inside it.”

If given the chance to challenge another mascot in an epic duel, he said he would pick the Xavier University Musketeer or the Southern Illinois University Saluki as his opponent.

“Our basketball games are pretty heated and everyone looks forward to the big games. I want to be involved in that,” Nelson said. “Hopefully I could take down their mascots.”

Nelson said he feels flattered about being the No. 1 college mascot on the web site SPMsportspage.com.

“It’s awesome, I don’t know of a more unique mascot than the Billiken,” he said. “It’s quite an honor, and the recognition for our school is pretty cool too.”

At the end of the day, Nelson gets tremendous satisfaction out of his role as the Billiken, despite all the job quirks and responsibilities.

“It’s cool to be the one out and around during games, or around campus, representing SLU and making the students happy,” he said. “I love being the Billiken, it’s the best job I’ve ever had, and I can’t wait to get in the new [Chaifetz] Arena and have a great year for our teams.”