In the nearly 60 years since Brutus Buckeye first debuted as Ohio State University’s mascot, only four women have portrayed the famous anthropomorphic nut.
Emily Hayward, an Ohio State biomedical engineering major who graduated from the university May 5, is the latest woman to join that exclusive group.
Hayward joined Ohio State’s spirit team three years ago when she first auditioned to be Brutus.
“I was kind of having a hard time finding something to be involved with outside of academics,” she said in an Instagram video posted by the university. “And then came across some of the guys that were Brutus before me and they encouraged me to just like go for it and try out.”
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The first woman to portray Brutus was Sandy Foreman in 1977, about a decade after he was first introduced. Hayward said she asked her friends if being Brutus was something they thought she could do as a woman.
The guys on the team didn’t have any problem with it, she said, so she took that attitude and ran with it.
Her time as Brutus was certainly memorable, she said. One of the first times she ran out the flag to welcome the football team into Ohio Stadium, she dislocated her shoulder. She also starred in a Nissan commercial with Buckeye legend Eddie George, performed on stage with country group Rascal Flatts during a show in Columbus, and went to the National Championship in January, according to an Instagram post.
She performed at more than 100 events annually as Brutus, as well as managing his social media accounts across multiple platforms.
Hayward was one of two seniors on Ohio State’s spirit team to graduate this semester. Charlie Huth, a civil engineering major from Hinsdale, Illinois, also portrayed Brutus for the last two years.
Hayward said she’s grateful to have had the opportunity to embody Brutus during her time at Ohio State.
“Brutus is just an all around good guy, he’s kind and funny, he goes out of his way to make people’s day,” she said. “I’d love to have that affect on rooms that he does, but as Emily.”
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Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Meet Emily Hayward, the latest woman to portray Ohio State University’s Brutus Buckeye
Reporting by Sheridan Hendrix, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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