The 'Demon Deacons' is the rather peculiar name of the athletic teams at Wake Forest University. Originally called the Baptists, and later the Deacons, they earned the name after a 'Demonic' American football victory over Trinity university (now Duke). The image of the Deacon itself came from a student who decided to dress as stereotypically like an old Deacon as possible. A large foam head was created a few years later and only then was the mascot born.

The Deacons are also a founding member of the Athletic Coast Conference and one of the 'Big Four' teams that grew up in a 38 mile radius of each other (even though the Deacons now call the town of Winston-Salem, 110 miles west, home). Recently they have come back into the athletic prominence that they had during the heyday of footballers like Brian Piccolo and basketball star Tim Duncan.

The Deacons have now started the 21st Century with a bowl game, NIT basketball championship, and back-to-back conference championships in Baseball.

Famous Deacons

• Brian Piccolo, subject of the book and movie Brian's Song, played American football for the Demon Deacons, and was later signed by the Chicago Bears. While with the team he broke the colour barrier by rooming with black running back Gail Sayers. Unfortunately his career was cut short when he lost his life to cancer in 1970.

• Arnold Palmer was a nationally ranked golfer while he attended Wake Forest; he went on to become one of the greatest golfers of our time, winning his first US PGA tour win in the 1955 Canadian Open, and has since accumulated 60 more USPGA wins.

• Tim Duncan is the basketball player who led the Deacons to two ACC championships, and appearances in the NCAA tournament each of his four years on the hard wood of Wake Forest. As first round draft pick for the San Antonio Spurs, he earned Rookie of the Year honours, and helped carry the Spurs to an NBA championship in 1999.