BYU Cougars athletic director Tom Holmoe has become quite the icon in the sports world on Halloween because of the elaborate costumes he has donned over the last decade or so.
Last year just before the big day, a video was produced by Y Magazine at BYU in which Holmoe and the woman primarily responsible for helping him get in costume, adjunct BYU theatre professor Jennine Hollingshaus, went through the process of how Holmoe has turned into various characters over the years.
Whether it be Aladdin’s “Genie,” the Mad Hatter or Coco’s “Ernesto de la Cruz,” among other characters Holmoe has become on Halloween, he and Hollingshaus said the process to get him in costume has taken anywhere from two-and-a-half to four hours.
Hollingshaus said the makeup is generally supposed to last about four hours, but Holmoe often spends all day in the garb.
“I think some of the fun ones are when I come in here and by the end of the day, my face is melting and there’s nothing you can do,” Holmoe said.
That is sometimes much to Hollingshaus’ chagrin, and sometimes she wants to do a touch-up midday, but Holmoe declines.
Anyone who has seen Holmoe over the years on Halloween would realize that as elaborate as the makeup usually is, that’s often just scratching the surface of the costume.
Hollingshaus said she custom makes some pieces, which has involved casting on Holmoe’s face using an alginate material that hardens.
“I’m just a kid at heart on Halloween,” Holmoe said.
The inner circle of who knows what Holmoe is going to be each year is small, but it does require some people to know. Hollingshaus is in charge of makeup, while Holmoe’s sister-in-law, Rhonda Montgomery, is in charge of the costume.
Holmoe’s wife Lori is generally the only other person (beside Holmoe himself, of course) who knows what the AD is going to be ahead of time.
As far as what his favorite costume over the years has been, Holmoe said, “I think maybe when people ask me ‘What’s your favorite costume?,’ I just say, ‘Jennine, the best is yet to come.’”
Added Hollingshaus: “I really do think it’s the next one. It’s the next one, and I think there’s something really fabulous about, you know, there’s never and end point. I’m always excited. What are we gonna try next? What do we think we could get Tom to do? What will he let me glue on his face?”