Looking Back at Chief Noc-A-Homa
The 2020 Atlanta Braves season marked the 35th season since the team parted ways with Chief Noc-A-Homa. Three decades hasn’t seemed to dim fan’s memory of the much beloved mascot. From the Braves inception in Atlanta through the 1985 season, Chief Noc-A-Homa was a huge part of the Braves marketing and relationship with fans. He made tons of appearances around Atlanta, danced around the mound on opening day, and for Independence Day games he’d blow fire. Fans loved Chief Noc-A-Homa, but his tenure as mascot wasn’t without controversy. Between fans superstitions about the removal of his tepee and Native American groups outraged over his caricatures, there never was a dull moment. How did Chief Noc-A-Homa mascot start and how did he end? When I started my research the information was clouded. As time has passed the history of Chief Noc-A-Homa has started to be forgotten, but this part of Braves history is worth remembering.
The Origins of Noc-A-Homa
The origins of Chief Noc-A-Homa started in Milwaukee before the franchise moved to Atlanta. Some time around 1964, a 16 year-old high school student named Tim Rynders set up a tepee in the center field bleachers of Milwaukee County Stadium. Every time the Braves scored Rynders would dance and ignite smoke bombs. This didn’t last long because the Braves moved to Atlanta before the start of the 1966 season. Contrary to what has been reported over the past decade the name for Chief Noc-A-Homa wasn’t based on the team’s logo. The new Atlanta Braves held a contest to name the mascot. The promotion went out across the Southeast hoping to establish the Braves as “Dixie’s Team.” The winning name was announced in July of 1966. Three winners had entered the name Chief Noc-A-Homa and an Atlanta institution was born. From 1966–68 Noc-A-Homa was portrayed by a Georgia State College student Larry Hunn. Hunn became interested in authentic Native American dances while he was in the boy scouts. Hunn passed on what he had learned to Tim Minors during the 1968 season, but his stint as the chief was short lived.
Levi Walker
Levi Walker, an Ottawa native and a Odawa Native American had held jobs as an insurance salesman, warehouse worker, and plumber. He had grown weary of his current job and thought Chief Noc-A-Homa should be portrayed by a Native American. After pestering the Braves for a while to let him take over as the chief the Braves made him the chief in 1969. Walker is by far the beloved and well known version of Noc-A-Homa. He was the chief until the Braves ended the mascot in 1986.
Chief Noc-A-Homa became a Braves institution with Walker. He was a presence at every home game and also made appearances throughout the year. According to Walker he made up to 240 appearance a year during the mascot’s most popular days. The Braves had some very poor teams during the 1970s and 1980s and for many younger fans the chief was their first attachment to a member of the franchise. It’s not difficult to understand why many fans had a strong attachment to the chief, but his tenure was also marked with controversy.
Superstitions and Controversy
In 1972, Russel Means, an Oglala Lakota activist for the rights of American Indian people sued the Cleveland Indians for $9 million for their use of the Native American caricature Chief Wahoo. Means also voiced his objection to the Braves use of Chief Noc-A-Homa. Voicing his frustration, Means said “what if was the Atlanta Germans and after every home run a German dressed in military uniform began hitting a Jew on the head with a baseball bat?” Means felt that the depiction made people laugh at Native Americans and not take them seriously. When Means was informed that Chief Noc-A-Homa was portrayed by a Native American he said “it figures, all the Chippewas used to do was hang around the fort anyway.” Controversy engulfed Levi Walker and the Braves. For a week, the topic raged. Walker went on radio talk shows to defend the Braves and Noc-A-Homa. Walker said “I think Indians can be proud that their names are used with professional sports teams.” Ultimately Noc-A-Homa survived the controversy, but the debate how Natives Americans are depicted in sports has battled on for over 50 years.
After a decade as chief, a different kind of controversy surrounded Levi Walker. In 1982, to make room for more seats, owner Ted Turner had the tepee removed. After the tepee was removed the Braves lost 19 of their next 21 games and fell to second place. Many fans were convinced the Braves were facing a tepee curse. As the losses piled up, pressure increased to have the tepee restored. Turner finally obliged and the tepee was reinstalled. With the tepee returned the Braves went on to win the National League West. The tepee controversy continued on in 1983, but when the Braves started losing games it became easier to justify the tepee’s existence. 1983 also introduced a new mascot to go along with the chief. “Princess Win-A-Lotta” who was portrayed by Kim Calos joined Chief Noc-A-Homa for a majority of the season. Calos was involved in a serious car accident that ended her season prematurely. The Braves chose not to bring her back in 1984.
The End of an Era
1985 marked Walker’s 17th and last season as the chief. During his tenure he saw the Braves go to the playoffs in 1969 and 1982. In 1974, He was one of the first people to shake Hank Aaron’s hand after his famous, record breaking home run. When the Braves snapped Pete Rose’s hitting streak at 44 games in 1978, the chief was at the stadium. Walker once boasted he would portray Chief Noc-A-Homa until he was 90, but his relationship with the Braves organization began to deteriorate. Walker complained to the organization about his compensation and the Braves claimed he was missing appearances. During the 1985 season, Walker made $60 per game and received $4,860 for 80 appearances. There were other complaints about Walker’s behavior in and outside the park. Whatever the truth is, the Braves and Walker parted ways in January 1986. The Braves chose not to replace Walker and that was the end of Chief Noc-A-Homa.
Pressure had been increasing on Major League Baseball to remove Native American caricatures from the game. The Braves quietly removed the Native American from their logo in the 1980s. Even so, that didn’t stop the team from embracing the tomahawk chop in 1991 despite vocal opposition from Native American groups. During the Braves magical “worst to first” run some fans asked for the Braves to bring back Noc-A-Homa, but the Braves never looked back.
The chief’s absence hasn’t stopped fans from reminiscing about their former mascot. In 2016, Bill Shanks wrote a column in the Macon Telegraph advocating the return of Chief Noc-A-Homa and his tepee to the new ballpark in Cobb County. The backlash was immediate and the Telegraph deleted the article within a few hours. Unlike the early 1970s, there’s little appetite nationally for Native American mascots at the ballpark.
In 2015, Levi Walker was interviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was asked about sports teams with Native American names. Walker said that the Washington Redskins name is “a real shot in the face for the indigenous people” but he didn’t “have a problem with the Braves or the Indians.”
It’s surprising that after so many years people still have such strong feelings for Chief Noc-A-Homa. He’s as famous in Braves country and Dale Murphy and Bob Horner. The Braves were so bad during that era and fans developed a strong bond with the chief. The only constant for the Braves were losing seasons and Chief Noc-A-Homa. For fans of that era, it’s unfair to characterize their love of a mascot as racist. However, it’s difficult to ignore the very real objections that many Native Americans have about caricatures of their culture. It’s something to remember as the debate about the Braves use of tomahawk chop continues.
