Stephen Colbert mocks Wake Forest sports in graduation speech

When Wake Forest invited comedian Stephen Colbert to deliver its commencement address on Saturday, athletic director Ron Wellman had to know a joke at his department's expense was surely going to be part of the speech.

The Demon Deacons endured a dismal 2014-15 school year in the major sports, finishing with a 3-9 record in football, a 13-19 record in men's basketball and a 13-20 record in women's basketball.

Sure enough, Colbert didn't disappoint. He mocked the state of the Wake Forest athletic department with a joke that referenced the student body's longtime tradition of toilet-papering the trees in the quad after memorable victories.

"Still, while Wake has been a trailblazer, this is a school that respects tradition," Colbert said. "Traditions like rolling the Quad with toilet paper after big wins. And this is actually an eco-friendly tradition because, looking at this season’s win-loss record, you guys saved a lot of paper."

To be fair to the 2015 Wake Forest graduating class, they did find reason to roll the quad in spite of the school's lack of athletic success during their four years in Winston Salem. In March 2014, they celebrated the resignation of basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik by toilet-papering the trees.

Colbert's joke received more chuckles than boos but immediately afterward he found a way to get even the most ardent defenders of Wake Forest sports back on his side.

"Let me win you back," he said. "Duke sucks."

(Thanks, FTW)

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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