The noise is deafening. The fans flood the court. The team mascot is swept up and carried on top of the crowd. That's team spirit. That's what it's like to be a Billiken fan at Saint Louis University.

If there is one thing that can be said about the billiken, it is that it is an incredibly unique creature. As recipient Sarah Bowen elaborates, that uniqueness does not stop with the mascot, but is ...