What’s a Billiken?

If you have ever been asked that question — with an expectation that you will have not just a coherent but a definitive answer — this blog is for you.  This is an online community for fans and friends of Saint Louis University and the place it occupies in the world.  Most often, this place is measured and amplified by its athletic teams.   SLU is a historic powerhouse in soccer, but most people don’t know it.  SLU basketball has never made the Sweet Sixteen, which is perplexing.  SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River, which is gerrymanderingly awesome.

I am a Billiken.

My fandom dates back to Pee Wee Lenard.   My degree says “BS”.  I have been called a math nerd and a computer geek.  Sticks and stones. I lived on 5C.  I studied at Pius X.   I drank at Clark’s.  I pitched for the baseball team.  I gave up some titanic bombs, sent others a chair, played some soft soothing chin music, and once hit a guy in the foot with a 55 MPH curve.  I never batted, but was on deck.  Twice.  I saw the dawn of Spoonball, the launch of Air McBride, and learned what a billett is.   I met some great people, made some life-long friends, and am happy to meet you too.

Main goal is to fulfill the mission laid out before us by Father Biondi: to elevate SLU to the finest Catholic institution in the country.  I believe athletic success and its celebration are fundamental to this pursuit.  Secondary goals include getting the words “Whatzuhs” (and maybe “Wheredjuhs”) into the Webster’s dictionary alongside their cousin “Hoosiers”.  This may take some time.