![]() In 2003, Cocky won Capital One’s Mascot of the Year and was runner-up in 2012. Cocky landed the NCA national championship in 2009. In 1986, Cocky captured his first Universal Cheerleaders Association Mascot Championship and later won again in 1994. He strutted on the national stage when he was selected to be the official mascot of the 19 ESPN College World Series. Cocky reappeared later during basketball season and spent a few years as “SuperChick,” working women’s sports, before finally winning the right - and fans’ hearts - to become the official university mascot in 1982.Ĭocky turned out to be a claw-footed prodigy. The only issue? Football fans weren’t at all fans of the new mascot, and he was roundly booed. The cumbersome costume led to the hatching of a more approachable and comfortable cartoon-style mascot at the 1980 homecoming game. A fearsome 7-foot-tall fighting rooster dubbed descriptively as “The Rooster” began scratching around in the 1970s. The University of South Carolina had no official mascot until 1971. Mike is not only the feline all-time pushup record holder, he also placed third in the national mascot championships in 1996. Mike often stayed in-suit for entire games with no backup, so that meant a lot of pushups - 2,216 over his career, to be exact. The Tiger is known for his tradition of doing pushups that reflect the score of the game. “During football season, I didn’t want anyone else in the suit. I did it for football, baseball, and basketball,” he says with a laugh. Because the second-string mascot was a cheerleader, most appearances were made by Mike. One day Mike approached him to inquire about what it took to do the job, and before he knew it, he had tried out and been selected as the first-string mascot. He always saw me acting up and dancing around in the stands with the band.” “I got to know the guy who was the mascot. “I’d think ‘Oh, it’d be funny if he did this or that,’ not ever thinking that I’d one day go to school there myself and wind up trying out.”Īs a freshman, Mike got a job moving equipment for the marching band as a result, he ended up in the same travel group as the cheerleaders, sports operations staff, and mascots. “During the games, I was always watching The Tiger, wondering what he would do,” he says. Before he was The Tiger from 1994 to 1997, Mike would visit the Clemson campus with his family to watch games and visit with his sister, Allison Farkas, who attended the school and played in the band. Alum Roy Southerlin happened upon the suit in the Clemson University Field House and decided to take the role upon himself.įor Clemson alum Mike Bays, now an IT recruiter, the journey into the fur suit was a bit more complicated. ![]() The story goes, according to mascot anthology Clemson Through the Eyes of The Tiger, that The Tiger made his first appearance at the Gator Bowl in 1952. Mascot seniority can only go to one, and in the Who’s Been Around the Longest Bowl, that designation goes to The Tiger. How did a mischievous orange fuzzball and a giant garnet-colored bird become symbols of the hottest collegiate rivalries that stretch back centuries? Apparently, it was dumb luck for one, while the other had to battle it out with a Goliath of a teammate for several years. Simultaneously adored and loathed by legions in both the state and nation, The Tiger, at Clemson University, and Cocky, from the University of South Carolina, are two of the state’s most popular and beloved representatives. If this data is unavailable or inaccurate and you own or represent this business, click here for more information on how you may be able to correct it.When it comes to the state’s most well-known movers and shakers, two characters have stolen the show for decades. ![]() VIEW ADDITIONAL DATA Select from over 115 networks below to view available data about this business.
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