What’s 6-feet-9-inches tall, loves scarlet and gray, and is Ohio State University’s nuttiest fan?
It’s Brutus Buckeye, OSU’s fun-loving mascot.
Brutus has been hyping up fans inside Ohio Stadium for decades. As he gets ready to celebrate his 60th birthday this fall, here are a few things to know about this eternally smiling anthropomorphic nut.
60 years of Brutus
Brutus was first introduced on Oct. 30, 1965, during the Ohio State Buckeyes’ homecoming game against Minnesota.
Two students, Ray Bourhis and Sally Lanyon, had decided to take a chance on crafting a mascot for the university. They built a papier-mâché buckeye — complete with a simple smile, cartoony eyes and fuzzy white eyebrows — at the Pi Beta Phi sorority house with the help of Lanyon’s sorority sisters and $50 from Ohio Staters, Incorporated, a student service organization.
He debuted by walking down the entrance ramp at Ohio Stadium during the game. Thousands of fans recognized what it was and started to cheer. The rest was history.
Ohio Staters held a naming contest a couple of weeks after the game. Kerry Reed submitted the winning name: Brutus Buckeye.
Brutus first appeared as little more than a nut with legs. Today, his attire is a little more sleek — and full-bodied, for that matter. Brutus’ costume includes nine pieces: a five-pound mascot head, shirt, pants, shoes, gloves, wristbands, socks, belt and towel. (Though he has outfit changes for special events.)
He’s got the moves
Every mascot has a few signature moves that make them stand out in a crowd.
Brutus has three: the head bang, the Hulk Hogan and the headstand while spelling out O-H-I-O with his legs.
He’s also known to do “Brutus pushups” during the second half at home football games. His personal record? A whopping 73 pushups during a home football game against Eastern Michigan in 2010.
One busy Buckeye
Brutus is popular on and off the gridiron.
Not only does he appear at every home and away football game, Brutus also attends many other Ohio State sporting events. His schedule goes beyond just athletics, too.
Brutus does more than 500 events a year, from weddings and graduation parties to campus events and commercial shoots.
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: Brutus Buckeye, Ohio State’s nuttiest fan, is turning 60. Here’s what to know about OSU’s mascot
Reporting by Sheridan Hendrix, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
