Mascot Tusk II passes away

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Tusk II, the live mascot of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, passed away on Monday at his home outside of Dardanelle, Ark. Tusk II died of natural causes and was laid to rest this afternoon on the Stokes Family farm.Born Aug. 12, 2002, Tusk II served as the official live mascot of the Razorbacks in football from 2005-09. During his tenure, the Razorback football team posted a record of 35-28. His final appearance as Arkansas’ live mascot came on Saturday at the 2010 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Arkansas defeated East Carolina 20-17 in overtime at Liberty Memorial Stadium in Memphis. In addition to appearing atfootball games, Tusk II made numerous annual appearances at other Razorback sporting events and functions.Tusk II was known for his interaction with Razorback fans. In addition to appearing in thousands of photos, Tusk II would eat grapes and apples from the hands of his adoring fans.Tusk II took over for his father Tusk I in 2004. He will be succeeded by his brother Tusk III in the continuation of the live mascot program at the University of Arkansas. Keith and Julie Stokes and their family serve as the caretakers for the University of Arkansas’ live mascots. Razorback fans wishing to leave a message for the Stokes family or share a favorite memory from Tusk II may leave a message on Facebook at Tusk Razorback Mascot or visit the contact us link at the bottom of ArkansasRazorbacks.com. For those that would like to contribute to the live mascot program in Tusk II’s memory, you can send a donation to Tusk Fund, c/o The Razorback Foundation, 1295 Razorback Road, Suite A, Fayetteville, AR 72701.