May 7, 2018
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt fans know Mr. Commodore as the university’s smiling mascot whose wacky antics add flavor to Vanderbilt sidelines.
What they don’t know is this: Becoming Mr. C is more taxing than it appears. Just ask Evan Mercer.
“When you put on the big head and the whole suit, you start sweating immediately,” Mercer said. “But it’s a good workout.”
Mercer, a senior at Vanderbilt, has spent the past two seasons performing with Vanderbilt’s Spirit Squad as Mr. Commodore. Next fall, after earning his undergraduate degree in neuroscience, the Marietta, Ga. native will move on to Vanderbilt Medical School. But while his Vanderbilt story remains unfinished, Mercer already views his time as Mr. Commodore among the highlights of his college career.
“Being Mr. Commodore has been more fun than I ever expected,” Mercer said. “I thought it’d be a job. But every time I’m in the suit, it’s a blast.”
Mercer’s journey began in the summer of 2016, when he spotted an ad on campus for Mr. Commodore tryouts. Mercer didn’t know much about Mr. C, but he had worked as a Zaxby’s mascot back home in Georgia, luring passing cars into the parking lot.
Plus, as he puts it, “I don’t have very good moves, but I love to dance. So I thought I’d give it a shot.”
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The result was an extracurricular activity that came naturally to Mercer. Once he joined forces with Vanderbilt’s Spirit Squad, Mercer became a mainstay as Mr. Commodore at games and events. Mercer soon developed a love for interacting with Vanderbilt fans as the school’s relentlessly positive mascot.
Mercer’s outgoing personality made it easy to elicit smiles and laughter from kids. But he said Danielle Eckert, Vanderbilt’s Spirit Coordinator and Head Cheerleading Coach, helped teach him how to better interact with fans and utilize his environment. That included training with Gnash, the gregarious mascot of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, to better develop his style. 
Soon Mercer began to fill his toolbox with a number of favorite tactics, like joking with nearby security guards to make fans laugh.
“At Zaxby’s, I was just swinging signs around. I didn’t know other things to do,” Mercer said. “Coach E helped me learn how to be innovative and creative and use my surroundings as Mr. Commodore.”
Mercer’s positive attitude overshadowed a personal obstacle: He is deaf in his left ear and partially deaf in his right. He also wears a hearing aid. But Mercer said he used that challenge as motivation for his tenure as Mr. C. It served as more reason to develop unique methods of interacting with fans.
That glass-half-full mentality is what defines Mercer as a Spirit Squad member, said Eckert.
“Evan is one of the most outstanding individuals I’ve met in my life,” Eckert said. “Spirit Squad members often don’t get the accolades or recognition of other student-athletes despite putting in many of the same hours. But Evan has embraced the position of Mr. C from day one and, in a lot of ways, transformed our program. He sets an example of what we want all of our mascots to be.”
Mercer originally came to Vanderbilt with hopes of a career in journalism, but a volunteering opportunity at a health clinic sparked a change in direction. He quickly recognized a passion for helping others through medicine. This week, Mercer will graduate with a degree in neuroscience and move on to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in the fall. He has yet to narrow down a preferred field, but Mercer said he is intrigued by neurosurgery.
These days, Mercer can still recall the day he spotted an ad for Mr. Commodore tryouts. If he ever saw another student in his shoes, Mercer said he wouldn’t miss a beat.
“I’d walk up and say, give it a shot!” Mercer said. “Being Mr. Commodore is always a blast. When you go a game or an event or the hospital, kids are always happy to see you. You’re there to make everyone else happy.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
