By Jeph Duarte | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-09-24 19:00:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
上周末，圣安东尼奥体育名人堂举行了2025届的入选仪式。正如我们此前报道，纪念1999年夺冠也是庆典的一部分。
其中一位入选者便是蒂姆·德克 (Tim Derk)。
蒂姆·德克缔造了马刺队的吉祥物——小野狼 (The Coyote)。在长达21年的时间里，他就是那个面具背后的灵魂人物。
这位芝加哥人最初搬到圣安东尼奥是为了就读三一大学 (Trinity University)，并在此获得了商学学位。毕业数年后，德克通过参与当地的戏剧表演和商业工作，已经完全融入了这座城市。当时，马刺队的广告代理公司找到了他，希望共同打造这个如今已闻名遐迩的吉祥物。
小野狼于1983年4月13日首次亮相。它的成名绝技包括舞蹈、杂技等无数喜剧套路。其中，最为人津津乐道的舞台表演有：骑独轮车、把眼球拔下来、用脚运球以及在笔尖上转球等等。凭借这些表演，小野狼成为了NBA最受赞誉的吉祥物之一。
在其任职期间，德克在超过1100场比赛中登场亮相，并参与了4000多次社区活动。
2004年，德克不幸遭遇了严重的中风，在重症监护室里度过了六周。在他卸任马刺吉祥物扮演者六个月后，马刺体育娱乐公司任命德克为吉祥物发展部经理。
那么，为何他的名字在马刺球迷中并不那么广为人知呢？多年以来，他的身份一直秘而不宣，极少有人知道小野狼的庐山真面目。在他遭遇健康危机后，亲友们鼓励他公开身份，以此作为一种方式，与那些深爱并崇拜着吉祥物服装内那个“他”的社区重新建立联系。
此后，他继续留在马刺队任职，担任内部沟通副经理，负责向新员工讲授马刺的历史与文化。
“想想也挺有意思的，我花了21年时间默默工作，一言不发，而现在我的工作就是不停地与人交谈。”
2006年，德克出版了*《嗨，妈妈，寄些羊过来：我作为小野狼以及之后的人生》(Hi Mom, Send Sheep: My Life As The Coyote And After)*一书，记录了自己的亲身经历。
2007年，小野狼入选吉祥物名人堂。
点击查看原文：Open Thread: Every San Antonio Spurs fan should know the name Tim Derk
Open Thread: Every San Antonio Spurs fan should know the name Tim Derk
Last weekend, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame held their 2025 inductions. As previously mentioned, the 1999 Championship was a part of the ceremony.
One of the inductees was Tim Derk.
Tim Derk originated the Spurs Coyote. For 21 years, he was the man behind the mask.
The Chicago native initially moved to San Antonio to attend Trinity University, where he earned a business degree. A few years after graduation, Derk had immersed himself in the city through local theater and commercial work. He was approached by the Spurs ad agency in an effort to create the now famed mascot.
The Coyote was first introduced on April 13, 1983. The claim to fame included numerous comedy routines, including dancing and acrobatics. Best known for his stage antics, such as riding a unicycle, pulling his eyes off, dribbling a ball with his feet or spinning a ball on a pen, The Coyote has gone on to be one of the most celebrated NBA mascots.
During his tenure, Derk, appeared in over 1,100 games. He made over 4,000 community appearances.
In 2004, Derk suffered a massive stroke. He spent six weeks in intensive care. Six months after stepping down from his role as the Spurs mascot, Derk was named Manager of Mascot Development by Spurs Sports & Entertainment.
So why is his name not as common among Spurs fans? For years, his identity was kept under wraps. Relatively few people knew the identity of The Coyote. After his health crisis, he was encouraged by his loved ones to reveal himself as a way to connect with the community that loved and adored the man inside the costume.
He has since stayed with the Spurs Organization in the role of Assistant Manager of Internal Communications, teaching the history and culture of the Spurs to new hires.
“It’s kind of funny to think I spent 21 years working and not saying a single word, and now all I do is talk with people.“
In 2006, Derk released, Hi Mom, Send Sheep: My Life As The Coyote And After, chronicling his story.
In 2007, The Coyote was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
By Jeph Duarte, via Pounding The Rock