Xavier Nation Magazine Feature: One For All
07.18.16 | Athletic Department, All For One Fund
Inspired by a real Frenchman, our Musketeer D’Artagnan has roamed the sidelines for 50 years
In October 2015, Xavier celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Musketeer's first appearance at an XU sporting event. Even after five decades, D'Artagnan (pronounced dar-TAN-yan) still manages to maintain an aura of mystery. We bet you didn't know these 10 facts about our favorite faux Frenchman:
The photo associated with the release was taken at a home men's basketball game during the 2015-16 season. Bill Peters (left), the original D'Artagnan mascot, was recognized during a halftime ceremony.Â
- Â D'Artagnan was a real person: Born in France in the 17th century, Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan was the original inspiration for the fictional character in the books of Alexandre Dumas.Â
- And he was an actual Musketeer: D'Artagnan, the historical figure, did serve as a captain of the Musketeers of the Guard for France's King Louis XIV before dying in the Franco-Dutch War.Â
- Literary hero: Prior to Dumas's "D'Artagnan Romances" (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later), D'Artagnan appeared in another piece of literary work. Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras's book Mémoires de M. d'Artagna was a semi-fictionalized version of his life that served as the basis for Dumas's novels.Â
- The fourth Musketeer: Though D'Artagnan was a member of the Musketeers of the Guard in Dumas's books, he is not one of the Three Musketeers. He befriends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis while attempting to join the elite corps.
- Xavier's Musketeer origins: Xavier Board of Trustees member Reverend Francis J. Finn proposed the Musketeer as Xavier's mascot in 1925. Finn felt D'Artagnan recognized Xavier's historical ties to France while embodying the school's "all for one, one for all" spirit.Â
- D'Artagnan's debut: The Musketeer made its first appearance at a sporting event in October 1965 when Bill Peters, a 1968 Xavier graduate, appeared as the first D'Artagnan for the Xavier football homecoming game against Villanova. The Musketeers defeated the Wildcats, 35–0.
- A one-man show: Now as many as four Xavier students are used to meet all of D'Artagnan's obligations, but the first Musketeer was on his own. Peters not only performed as the sole D'Artagnan, he was responsible for transportation to events, as well as the cleaning and upkeep of the costume.
- The clothes make the Musketeer: Peters appeared, unmasked, in a one-piece costume featuring a white blouse with blue pleated sleeves, a brown vest, and dark blue pantaloons. The original Musketeer costume also featured a blue cape, a fencing foil, and fake brown boots made to cover non-marking shoes.
- A new-look Musketeer: D'Artagnan has had a few facelifts through the years. The current edition of the Musketeer mascot costume made its first appearance at the beginning of the 2004–2005 basketball season.
- D'Artagnan stands alone: In a sea of Lions and Tigers and Bears (and Wildcats and Eagles and Bulldogs), Xavier is the only school in NCAA Division I to use the Musketeer as its mascot, making D'Artagnan truly one-of-a-kind.
The photo associated with the release was taken at a home men's basketball game during the 2015-16 season. Bill Peters (left), the original D'Artagnan mascot, was recognized during a halftime ceremony.Â
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