Jackson Free Press

Edited with correction

Terrell Lewis, 19, is a people person, he says, which is obvious when he takes to the field as Jackson State University's mascot, Wavee Dave. The sophomore mass communication major says that JSU has been "in his blood" from an early age. Both his parents—Tyrone and Shelia Lewis— graduated from JSU, and Lewis was a "baby tiger" from the time he was 5 years old to when he outgrew his suit at age 12.

Lewis remembers ESPN highlighting the baby tigers for ganging up on the Grambling State University mascot at a homecoming game.

"After we finished our field-show routine every year, we always would run to hit the goal post. The Grambling Lady Tiger was sitting on the goal post, and we ran and told her to move, and she (wouldn't) move, and so we gave it to her," he says, laughing. "I remember my daddy called me and said, 'look at y'all on ESPN,' … and they were showing it in replay."

After his predecessor, David Chambers, died from kidney failure in December 2006, Lewis says that alumni and parents began to flood him with calls, wondering if he would be the next Wavee Dave.

"It was always said to us by Wavee that ... if he was to ever stop doing it, that he would want a baby tiger to take up his shoes," Lewis says. "It just fell in(to) my hands."

But Lewis didn't always plan to fill Chambers' rather large shoes.

When he attended Callaway High School, he played the snare drum in the band, and wanted to continue to play with the Sonic Boom at JSU. But after a year and a half of playing in the band at JSU, Lewis knew that it was his time to "take up the suit."

Lewis assumed the role of Wavee Dave in January 2007 during basketball season, and performed at his first football game on Sept. 1 against the Delta State Statesmen.

"It felt good because I had already done the basketball season, but it was a different crowd," he says. "I thought, 'What would Wavee do in this situation, and what would he do in his younger days?' After the first quarter … I said, 'I'm going to run and hit the pole,' and see if (the crowd) makes the 'boom' noise … and I did it, and I heard the 'boom.' Then all of my shakes kind of went away."

Although being Wavee Dave takes much of Lewis' time, he finds time to exercise his people skills off the field as an event planner for Average Joe Entertainment, a party-planning company based in Jackson. Lewis also plays the drums at Stronger Hope Baptist church and works at Finish Line, though he says that he considers being a student his most important job.

Previous Comments

ID

82646

Comment

Great story! I've wondered who the new Wavee Dave was! I think he's doing a great job.

Author

honey2me

Date

2007-09-20T14:58:21-06:00

ID

82647

Comment

Note that he's Tyrone Lewis' boy. We had a funny moment in the office because I looked at his picture and said to Maggie: "He looks just like Tyrone Lewis!" She didn't think he was his son, and I had her call him—and I won the bet! ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-20T15:02:09-06:00

ID

82648

Comment

Nice article! I'm glad that Wavee Dave lives on. :-)

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-09-20T15:09:06-06:00