Posted at 7:11 PM on
January 5th, 2010
Requiem for Tusk II
Good Night, TUSK II
Born August 12, 2002, with seven other brothers and sisters, this young Russian Boar had little idea that he would become
one of the most celebrated Hogs in History!
At an early age,
Tusk II and his
brother became the
Princes of Hog Nation.
They were groomed as royalty, but like any worthy royal,
Tusk II had to serve the
Hog Nation and learn to become a
Fighting Razorback by chasing off volunteers, commodores and rebels!
As he grew,
Tusk II developed a keen sense of smell, sharp eyesight, and intelligence far beyond tigers, pachyderms, eagles, bulldogs, gators, gamecocks, and wildcats!
In his last task before becoming
King he took on a mission deep into the heart of Texas to locate and organize the resistance of the last known wild Russian Boars in the United States.
Tusk II ascended to the throne in December of 2004 and inherited the Palace built as a tribute from the lover of all things chicken, Tyson.
Although destined to serve as the
King of Hog Nation, he was always down to earth at home.
On the road, he gave them a show!
Even hifalutin newspapers like the New York Times recognized him as the
King of Hog Nation.
Tusk II walked with Kings but never lost the common touch.
As his last official act,
Tusk II oversaw the
Arkansas Razorbacks’ win in the 2010 Liberty Bowl.
With Victory in hand,
he was tired, and it was time to move on…
Good Night,
Tusk II.
Rest in Peace. d. January 4, 2010.
We’ll miss you, Brother.
Long Live
Tusk III !
Memorials may be made to the
Tusk Fund
c/o The Razorback Foundation
1295 Razorback Road, Suite A
Fayetteville, AR 72701.
SharpTusk for Hog Database
W.Walton
Ummm, anyone else but me think it’s incredibly inappropriate to put a HUNTING VIDEO up on the memorial page for animal being memorialized? Seriously, in the entire internet, you couldn’t find any other video of a boar in the wild than one in which someone screams, “Shoot him if ya git a shot!!”
January 5, 2010
SharpTusk
W. Walton,
First, thanks for reading and watching the video! I appreciate your doing so and don’t mind criticism. I did watch the video all the way through and apparently didn’t have the sound up. Through two years and about 120 blog entries it hasn’t been a problem. Thanks for the lesson in detail. It can be the new thing I learned to pay attention to today.
Because a mascot is our image in a way, I hoped Requiem for Tusk II would show the spirit and integrity of Arkansans and the University of Arkansas in the persona of Tusk II. I would hope that our mascot would be like our king image to everyone, but one who’s common, one who would successfully run off enemies at his own risk with nothing but his speed, strength and determination, one who would go into the heart of Texas to save other Hogs, one who would be regular Joe at home and the life of the party on the road, and one who would see a final victory for his people before he allowed himself to go no further.
I hoped to personify our spirit in real life and on the field in story about his life. I felt like the video, although harsh in a way, would lend to the story similar to any number of Disney films. The video shows a young Russian boar with the fire and determination of those youngsters we’ve sent to the other side of the world, or in matters of lesser importance, like the students we cheer for everyday on the field or court. He survives on his grit and determination. Relatively speaking, the boar in the video seemed to be about the equivalent of a teenager.
Maybe it’s all a little much for a blog entry.
If you’d like to read entries which are more straightforward, may I suggest:
Ryan Mallet and NCAA Transfer Rule X
Sharp & to the Point(s), Scoring to Win the SEC !!
Bobby Petrino — Getting Respect (This last entry is the finale of a three-part series. With the perspective of Petrino’s career as detailed in the first two posts, I laid the groundwork to tear into Pat Forde and ESPN’s completely unfair treatment of Bobby Petrino when he came to Arkansas.)
Thanks, W. Walton!
SharpTusk
January 6, 2010
Jacob
I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it at all…
It makes me love Razorbacks even more.
January 6, 2010