A University of Oklahoma student has officially made history after becoming the first Black woman to lead the official mascot of the sports teams at the school.
Jadyn Davis’ parents, Rawlen and Babette Davis, said there were tears in their eyes watching their daughter leading the Sooner Schooner during OU’s 73-0 win over Arkansas State.
Jadyn, who is related to former Heisman running back, Ernie Davis, is now being considered a trailblazer in her own right.
“We put it right with Ernie Davis, the first Black Heisman Trophy winner,” Babette told the OU Daily. “While this isn’t the Heisman trophy winner, it is a first of something that is well deserved and very memorable. So in our family, generation wise, the excitement is overwhelming.”
Her parents further recalled that while Jadyn was fixated on managing the ponies on the field, she briefly looked up and saw herself on the south endzone video board. According to her, it wasn’t until halfway through the drive that she recognized the impact of that moment.
“Saturday was honestly pretty surreal,” Jadyn said. “I have never done anything with that many people watching me. I feel like I was a little bit nervous, but my team of drivers and my coaches were all talking to me and confident in me, which made me confident.”
She continued: “I didn’t really have a whole lot of time to be nervous and think about the historical moment. It wasn’t until the drive when it kind of hit me that I actually created history.”
Jadyn currently serves as a member of the RUF/NEK Lil’ Sis spirit squad, a group of all-female ambassadors for the program that consists of alumni, civic and charitable events that also serve as the foundation of the Sooners game day tradition.
“This is what I want to do. This is where I want to be,” Jadyn recalls telling her father in 2020 during OU’s 38-35 loss to Kansas State.
Now as she heads to graduation next May, she intends to pursue a master’s degree in international diplomacy. Like Ernie, she wants to break new ground for people of color across the country.
“I want to make it better for the future,” Jadyn concluded. “I want to make sure that I’m mentoring the generation after me. I want to make sure that if I have to go through things that aren’t always fun, I want to go through them so that the next generation after me doesn’t.”
Congratulations, Jadyn!
