Bill Lucas is the senior most employee of the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks…and he gets to spend most of his time in a rocking chair. For more than 20 years, Bill has entertained fans from near and far as “Ole” a Norwegian heritage mascot.
The Saint Paul Saints use a trained pig to bring fresh baseballs out to the umpire between innings and, as Bill says, “I was the next best thing to a trained pig.”
When Bill was hired, he was a teacher in the Fargo Public Schools system and in the 23 years since he first slipped into those iconic overalls – he has had hundreds of students who greet him as Mr. Lucas during the school year and Ole during the summer.
The character has evolved over the years, Bill has always been a talented performer and juggler – but it was over 10 years into his stint as Ole that he added the now famous “Cotton-Eyed Joe” dance.
Ole is courteous and quick with a joke as he signs foul balls for fans or makes a joke where he confuses words. A “fan favorite” is not a deep enough sentiment for how the Redhawks community feels for their rocking chair buddy!
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(Amy Iler & JJ Gordon are talk-show hosts at 790 AM KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. “It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ” can be heard weekdays 11am-2pm. Check out the show page on
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