In 1904, when Wichita State University was known as Fairmount College, football manager R.J. Kirk, Class of 1907, coined the name "Wheat Shockers" for posters advertising a game against the Chilocco Indians after a Wichita Fall Festival press agent insisted Fairmount needed a balancing nickname; the name was later shortened to "Shockers." The nickname reflected the fact that many players earned money for college expenses by working through the summer wheat harvest and threshing, returning tough enough to play 60-minute games. Later, Wichita University art students competed to create a design that would represent the school spirit, with entries judged by the student publications board and no set theme. Wilbur Elsea, a junior and World War II Marine, chose to create a mascot with a tough, serious, no-nonsense scowl, and his design for WuShock was adopted. In another contest, freshman Jack Kersting supplied the name WuShock, and in 1954 cheerleader Dave Johnson, with members of the art department, transformed the mascot from a drawing into a costume.