BLOOMINGTON — Saturday marks the start of a new IU football season. It also marks the return of the school’s mascot, Hoosier the Bison.
For months, IU Athletics has teased the return of the bison with a social media campaign leading up to Aug. 30.
“We’re very excited to bring back the bison,” said Jeremy Gray, IU’s senior associate athletic director. “It’s been a movement led by faculty, students and IU fans.”
Gray helped design the new look, which is being kept under wraps until Saturday.
“I wanted it to look like a Marvel character so that it could win a play fight against Brutus Buckeye at halftime,” he joked.
The updated design is a far cry from Hoosier’s first version. The original mascot debuted in 1965 but lasted just four seasons.
“It was extraordinarily hot, had an oversized head, in fact they drilled the holes improperly to be able to see out of, so it could barely see out of the head and had to be brought onto the field by a cheerleader holding a leash," said Gray.
Gray said the mascot also helps with marketing. It helps connect with children and provides energy during games.
"By Big Ten rules we're not allowed to play music of make noise while play is going on and so there’s only one thing that could fire up a crowd while play is going on," said Gray.
It also helps generate revenue.
“We already generated some money off that mascot that has yet to make an appearance,” Gray said. “In this time when we’re paying student-athletes and salaries continue to go up, any jolt of revenue is welcome.”
Fans are encouraged to arrive early Saturday to see the mascot’s official debut before IU’s 2:30 p.m. kickoff against Old Dominion.
For more information on game day, you can visit this article.
