It’s always that huge smile first, then the gloves and lastly, the oversized feet. Inside the suit of the beloved Tommy Trojan mascot, there’s no way for the crowd to know who is behind that grin. There is only the performance: a jump, a dance or a high five. 

For nearly three years, one of the students behind that mask was Halle Hunt, a senior majoring in cognitive science. 

Even before taking on the role, Hunt was a frequent visitor to USC sports games as part of the USC Helenes, a student-led service and spirit organization. There, as she saw Tommy Trojan from behind the band members, she thought to herself, “What would I give to be Tommy Trojan?”

What started as a brief thought quickly became something much bigger. Hunt said she stumbled across an Instagram post recruiting new mascots and decided to apply. Soon after, she was traveling with the team, stepping into the role in what she described as one of the most high-pressure environments possible.

“My very first experience was in a packed stadium. It was interacting with fans, interacting with other mascots [and] interacting with the spirit team and the players,” Hunt said. “I was definitely kind of thrown into the deep end, but it was such a great opportunity to learn.”

From that moment on, Hunt became part of a small but largely invisible group responsible for one of USC’s most recognizable figures. The Tommy Trojan mascot is anonymous by design, with identities only revealed upon graduation. Hunt said that behind the scenes, the role demands far more than the crowd sees. 

“Being in the suit is pretty heavy. Because it has the big head and a lot of exaggerated features, like the hands and the feet that not all other mascot suits have,” Hunt said. “So, especially if you’re working with kids, sometimes you might not see a kid that’s right next to you all the time. Your peripheral vision isn’t the best. So you always kind of have to keep your head on a swivel.”

Despite those challenges, Hunt said the most meaningful moments often come from small and unscripted interactions.

“It’s really fun to interact with the kids as Tommy, because obviously you’re this walking cartoon and it’s very eye-catching,” Hunt said. “The USC fan base spans both widely within our students, but also reaches a lot of families, especially in the South Central community. I think it is really special to be able to interact with the community that supports and hosts USC.”

For Glen Wong, a graduate student studying music industry who previously performed as Tommy, those interactions are exactly what the role is meant to create.

“Basically, Tommy is everyone,” Wong said. “He is your typical frat boy on Frat Row that does business and goes to Marshall. But he’s also your international student that came all the way here … to pursue a career … He’s also the quiet kid in the library that likes to draw. Tommy is every single person.”

Wong, who performed as Tommy for roughly two and a half years before transitioning into a coaching role, said that the biggest purpose of being Tommy is to “bring joy to people.”

“If Tommy can do it, why can’t I do it?” Wong said. “Even just walking around campus and being nice to people on a bad day. If Tommy can be nice to people, then what’s stopping you from being a nice person today?”

That same philosophy guides how administrators see the role evolving. Nicole Martin, assistant director of spirit programs, said Tommy Trojan fills a space on campus that few others can.

“He brings fun … [Students] are really honed in on their studies. But then here comes Tommy. It’s a ‘drop my pen and let me look up from my phone’ moment,” Martin said.

Martin said Hunt made a great Tommy Trojan figure with her enthusiasm and her effort being put into events.

“She was hugely instrumental,” Martin said. “She was very well skilled in doing what she does. She’s got the energy and she has the personality; she has all that it takes to be an anonymous person in the suit. Because she’s got the crowd engaged at basketball games and just being able to dance and have a good time and get the crowd excited about the event.”

As the program expands, so do its demands. Tommy now participates in commercial work for the Big Ten conference, including filming commercials in New York, according to Martin. His appearances have also extended beyond athletic events to community outreach, including a recent booking for a four-year-old’s birthday. With the suit itself costing an estimated $25,000, making appearances is also a way to help sustain the program. 

Reflecting on her time in the role, Hunt described it in three words: “exciting, unpredictable and community oriented.” 

As Hunt prepares to graduate, the anonymity that once defined her role will finally be lifted. But the experience and the impact she leaves behind will remain.

“It’s been really special to be able to hold on to Tommy as a kind of a legacy that I was able to leave at USC,” Hunt said. “And one that’s given back to me so much by meeting so many different people … It’s a really special opportunity to be able to ‘Fight On’ in such a unique way.”