Alumnus Who Helped Popularize Herky Mascot is Remembered

Photo: 1964 Hawkeye Yearbook An early version of Herky the Hawk makes an appearance on the sidelines of an Iowa football game in the 1960s.

Before the University of Iowa trusted Herky the Hawk to pump up the crowd at football games, there was a slew of other mascots less suited to the task. 

First there was a black bear cub—who reportedly backed the football team into a tiny corner of the bus on one outing—then a series of dogs named Rex, followed by a live hawk. Eventually, Herky the Hawk was born, but Herky wasn’t an automatic shoe-in for the job.

PHOTO: 1963 Hawkeye Yearbook Alumnus Larry Herb during his University of Iowa days

Larry Herb (65BS) is partly to thank for elevating Herky the Hawk into an icon for generations of students to come. Herb, 83, died on May 12, 2026.

Herb was raised in Long Beach, California, where he attended Long Beach City College before earning a swimming scholarship to the University of Iowa, according to his obituary.

A version of the Herky costume had been worn at pep rallies and parades throughout the 1950s. Herb continued the tradition, and the transfer student was among the first students to wear the official costume on the football field.

It’s thanks to student leaders like Herb that the mascot remains a familiar face at university athletics. In addition to bringing Herky to life at football games, Herb was a member of the Pep Club Council, the Inter-Fraternity Council, Delta Tau Delta, and the Dolphin National Honorary Swimming Fraternity.

Once Herb retired from his role as Herky, he passed the torch to a fraternity brother, and members of Delta Tau Delta donned the costume for more than 30 years. In 1998, the university opened tryouts to the entire student body, and in 1999, the first female students were chosen as mascots. 

Today, there is a rotating crew of dedicated students who wear the Herky the Hawk mascot and Herky has become a national icon. Herky met Michael Jordan, was featured as a question on Jeopardy!, and even visited the White House during the Obama administration. 

Herb had a significant impact on the UI’s tradition of school spirit, and the UI had an enormous impact on his life in turn. It was during his undergraduate years that he met the fellow student who would become his wife—Glenda Sanders Herb (65BA). They wed in 1964 during their time as students and were married for 61 years. 

Herb used his UI degree to launch a successful career in the life insurance industry and settled in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He is survived by his wife, two sisters, four children, and twelve grandchildren.