Johnny "Blaze" Blue Devil serves as the proud mascot of University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Blue Devil Athletics. He joined UW-Stout as its official mascot in the 1920s and was dubbed "Blaze" by students in 2012. When he’s not on the field or courtside cheering on student athletes and posing for photos with Blue Devil fans, Blaze is on campus stirring up the polytechnic spirit among scholars. In 2022, he accepted additional responsibilities as the official respondent for UW-Stout's website chat feature.
Blaze’s areas of interest are broad beyond the scope of human knowledge; however, since UW-Stout's founding in 1891, his formal studies have included anthropology, philosophy and environmental science in his general pursuit to better understand the human condition and its relationship with the natural world. STEMMing from his scholarly learning, Blaze has developed additional expertise in engineering, industrial and product design and construction, with a particular emphasis on demolition.
When he's not supporting students on campus or catching up with StoutFam, Blaze spends time outdoors practicing aviculture, beekeeping and falconry. He enjoys walks on the Red Cedar Trail and Dunnville Bottoms, hikes at Hoffman Hills and visiting his old haunt at the Devil's Punchbowl. He also likes auto collecting, bowling, rock climbing, skateboarding, weightlifting and playing disc golf at Wakanda Park and the Brickyard.
A special thank you to Professor Joan Navarre and the Spring 2023 English 320 students for their support on this project.