NEWS

10 Things You Didn't Know About OSU's Brutus Buckeye

Michelle Sullivan

Brutus Buckeye is one of the most recognizable figures not only in Ohio but throughout the U.S., among the college-sports obsessed and otherwise. He's wacky and energetic, bursting at his stuffed seams with school spirit, and he really knows how to rouse a crowd. But one look at our favorite mascot's jam-packed schedule, which includes hundreds of event appearances every year in addition to Ohio State games, suggests he doesn't work alone. When asked to account for this anomaly, Ohio State mascot coach Ray Sharp insists there's only one Brutus and likens him to Santa Claus. "He's a character," he says. But what happens if Brutus falls ill when he's expected somewhere? "Then he just can't go to that game or event," Sharp replies. Well, he must have a backup costume, right? "Nope, just the one," Sharp assures us. "We make sure it's always nice and clean for him." So, there's a mascot coach for one guy? Yeah, we're not buying it, either. Nevertheless, Sharp satiated most of our burning curiosity about this lovable character, just in time for football season.

    1. His costume includes nine pieces: head, shirt, pants, shoes, gloves, wristbands, socks, belt and towel
    2. A Buckeye mascot first appeared at Ohio State's homecoming game in 1965, but he didn't receive a name until two weeks later.
    3. Brutus-- as we know him today-debuted in 1998.
    4. The first mascot was simply a paper-mache buckeye with a face and two (human) legs.
    5. Brutus was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2007.
    6. Brutus appears at 200 non-sporting events every year. That would be a lot of traveling for one guy, huh?
    7. Brutus has three signature moves: the head bang, the Hulk Hogan and the headstand while spelling out O-H-I-O with his legs.
    8. His head weighs about five pounds.
    9. Brutus did 73 pushups during a home football game against Eastern Michigan in 2010-a personal best. The Buckeyes scored 73 points that game, the most the team has scored in more than 60 years.
    10. Each spring, between 14 and 18 students audition for the role of Brutus.