Saturday, Sept. 12, in Las Vegas, Bob Woolf, better known to Phoenix sports fans as the former Phoenix Suns Gorilla, will be inducted into the World Acrobatics Society Hall of Fame.
The Arizona Republic caught up with the former Arizona State gymnast whose first job out of college in 1988 was donning the gorilla costume, a position he held for 33 years and ended with the Suns' NBA Finals appearance in 2021.
Woolf helped six of his own ASU gymnastics teammates land mascot jobs across the NBA, building a pipeline of Arizona gymnasts into pro sports entertainment. He joins the Acrobatics Hall of Fame and takes his place among some of the most recognized gymnasts and athletes of all time and in this year's class, the Cirque du Soleil.
Originally from
Montana, Woolf came to the Phoenix area to go to ASU and after his college experience, became a face of the NBA as the Gorilla. He made more than 100 appearances as the beloved mascot in 25 different countries over his career.
"It justifies and kind of validates everything you've done in your whole career," Woolf said of going into the acrobatics hall.
Woolf planned to be the Gorilla for only a few years before he got a "real job," he said. He retired as the mascot only a few years ago, setting a standard for team mascot performances and crowd interaction along the way.
Question: How did you stay physically fit all those years with all the stunts the Gorilla does?
Answer: It was easy in the beginning. I created that dynamic early on in my career. And yes, once I got to my 30s and 40s, it got a little bit difficult. But if you stay in shape, take care of your body, there's been a few blood, sweat and tears and surgeries along the way, 18 or 19 surgeries. But for the most part, you adapt to who you are and what age you are. ... I just kind of blended everything together. I stretched my career as long as I possibly could.
What was your most dangerous moment as the Gorilla that you can recall?
The most dangerous parts were in practice, because I failed miserably in practice. I did a video of wing-walking. I was on top of an airplane with a promotional sign, just flying over the air, that could have been dangerous. I did an Evel Knievel stunt on the court. I'm a big Evel Knievel fan. ... I made two ramps and got a cycle and I actually jumped 20, 25 feet on the court from ramp to ramp. They said that was dangerous because I could have injured someone in the crowd.
What mascots are your favorites in the NBA?
Back in the day when I was working, Rocky (Denver Nuggets) was outstanding, the (Utah) Jazz Bear was outstanding, Hugo the Hornet was my roommate, one of the ASU guys; he was outstanding. The Gorilla still does a great job here. I got a chance to help pass on the baton when I retired.
How would you say being a mascot has changed over time?
When I started it was just all about entertainment. The (San Diego) Chicken, the (Phillies) Phanatic. It was just amazing entertainment. Fun skits. Funny skits. Crowd interaction. Tremendous ability to entertain.
My signature move was a gymnastics move after a dunk. I'd hang onto the rim. ... I'd stand on the rim, beat my chest like a big ol' gorilla. I'd wave a flag and then do a front flip off. That's what got me the job in my auditions. ... By the time I ended, you really were restricted on a lot of the things that you did within the NBA. Legality reasons and kind of PC reasons, too. There's a lot of things that you couldn't do or dress in. You were restricted. In the early days, it was the wild West, and I was so thankful to be part of the early days of mascoting rather than the later ones.
What players were most engaging with you?
I was so fortunate. All the players wanted to be a part of what I did. ... Charles Barkley loved to be a part of the mascot, in fact, every other visiting mascot, they could always beat on him or poke fun at him. I couldn't because we had to make him a part of the show. Tom Chambers was a great one with that. Cedric Ceballos, Oliver Miller helped me quite a bit. Steve Nash was actually kind of a fan of the Gorilla. Kurt Rambis was one of my favorites because he would go on his own time to shoot a video with me because he's a comedian.
What were off the court appearances like?
That's one of the most asked questions, is what else do you do besides games? There's only 41 games. But the Gorilla was so wanted and loved that everyone wanted to have us at the school, their show, their business. So I did between 300 and 350 appearances a year. Plus my games, plus preseason and postseason. My record was eight appearances in one day. ... I enjoyed getting out, seeing the smiles on kids' faces. I loved that face-to-face entertainment with smaller groups of people.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A conversation with Bob Woolf, for 33 years the Suns' Gorilla | Exclusive
