Tag: Mascot

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce honors college football mascot bet with Patrick Mahomes 

Kansas City #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce honors college football mascot bet with Patrick Mahomes | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs stars made a friendly bet over last weekend’s Texas Tech Red Raiders and Cincinnati Bearcats college football game. The Red Raiders won the dramatic contest 44-41, and more was on the line than bragging rights.

Former Cincinnati tight end Travis Kelce made a bet with former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes and lost. So the Pro Bowler had to wear the Red Raiders mascot head while recording the latest New Heights podcast, and this brother Jason had many thoughts on the look.

“Really thought the bearcats were gonna find a way to win that one at the end… smh,” posted Kelce on his X account in response to Mahomes posting a gif of the Red Raiders mascot.

Kelce hilariously mentions that he won’t take deep breaths in the mascot’s head because it is hard to breathe in. Jason called out its slight resemblance to head coach Andy Reid while holding back more laughter as the show got underway. If Klce had won the bet, Mahomes would’ve been forced to wear the Bearcats head at the podium during his weekly press conference.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jFRGlPbuxAA

Kelce is coming off his best game of the season last week and has plenty to smile about heading into Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Broncos Country invited to ‘Paint the City Orange’ on Thursday

The Broncos are inviting fans to “paint the town orange” on Thursday, and there will be several giveaways at the team’s stadium.

The Denver Broncos have one of the most passionate fan bases in the entire NFL, and the team has asked Broncos Country to help “Paint the Town Orange” on Thursday.

From 6:30-10 am on Thursday (Sept. 12) at Empower Field at Mile High in lots C and Z-O, fans can get a free Bronco head chalk stencil on the rear window of their car to help celebrate the team’s home opener on Sunday. The first 400 people to arrive will also receive a license plate cover.

Miles the Mascot and Broncos cheerleaders will be at the stadium to interact with fans.

In addition to this opportunity to show your fandom, to all those who bring Ford vehicles, Ford will be distributing free Broncos towels to passengers.

The “Paint the Town Orange” event is presented by Autowash, who will provide free car wash vouchers to drivers who attend.

Come on out to show off your Broncos fandom!

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Behind the head: Ed McCaffrey plays Miles in homage to Broncos Country

Who is behind the mask of Miles the mascot?

In the third episode of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis and NFL writer James Palmer’s “Salute to Broncos Country” series, the duo try to find Miles the Mascot in the belly of Empower Field at Mile High.

In order to help them find Miles, Davis and Palmer enlist the help of Denver Broncos’ mascot coordinator Brad Post. Together, all three of them go over some of Miles’ likely haunts: the Children’s hospital, on the field or the ski slopes. Post suggests the pair visit the mascot’s locker room.

On their way there, Palmer and Davis get a “whiff” of Miles, and upon spotting the elusive horse, they try to catch him. Miles eludes them, escaping and barricading himself in the locker room. While Davis and Palmer pound on the door to try and get him to come out, the mascot takes off the hoof hands and his head, revealing Davis’ old teammate and Broncos icon, wide receiver Ed McCaffrey.

McCaffrey gives a wink to the camera at the end of the video.

In previous episodes “Salute to Broncos Country,” Davis and Palmer examined the origins of the Mile High Salute and mixed-and-matched uniform combinations from the Mile High Collection. In the uniform episode, Davis put on the full uniform and he looks like he could still play today. Fans can watch more of the series on the team’s YouTube page.

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LOOK: Oregon Duck mascot attempts to climb into Camp Randall Stadium

Oregon’s famous mascot tried to breach the gates at Camp Randall:

We wrote yesterday that the Oregon Duck mascot’s road trip through the Big Ten had made it to Madison, Wisconsin. That was evidenced by the mascot being spotted at the Camp Randall Arch near the stadium.

There is a follow-up to that story: the Duck’s official account on X posted a photo of the mascot attempting to climb into a vacant Camp Randall Stadium.

Related: Big Ten power rankings in CBS Sports’ latest 1-134 ranking for 2024 season

The Duck has now been spotted at Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota as it tours the new Big Ten Conference. It has posted similar photos at each location, often waiting outside of a closed stadium gate.

The documented road trip is Oregon’s message of arrival to its new conference. It is a fun stunt as most other football-related headlines focus on fall camps and season preparation.

The goal of the trip was to stay in the news as the Ducks prepare for their first Big Ten game. That goal has been accomplished, evidenced by the more than 400 thousand views on the mascot’s post:

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

The Oregon Duck’s Big Ten takeover has made it to Madison, Wisconsin

The Oregon mascot is introducing itself to the Big Ten landscape:

The Oregon Duck‘s ongoing road trip to every Big Ten city continued this week — this time in our own backyard of Madison, Wisconsin.

UW-Madison Police posted photos on Thursday showing the Duck under the Camp Randall Arch on the intersection of Dayton Street and Randall Ave.

Related: Top storylines as the Wisconsin Badgers begin fall camp

This road trip stop follows an inflatable version of the famous mascot floating down the White River in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana during Big Ten media days, then the mascot itself stopping at Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.

The mascot is introducing itself and Oregon to its new conference foes. It started by visiting every program that made up the now-defunct Big Ten West.

Oregon projects to contend for the Big Ten title in 2024 along with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. The program’s top-end team, talent and brand all create the perfect storm for the duck mascot to become a fixture in the conference. That, and the creative social media team following the mascot across the country.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

Oregon Duck continues Big Ten takeover, this time in Iowa City, Iowa

Oregon Duck continues Big Ten takeover, this time in Iowa City, Iowa

The Oregon Duck’s attempted takeover of the Big Ten Conference now includes another chapter.

First, the program sent an inflatable version of the famous mascot down the White River in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana during Big Ten media days. Next, it crashed Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule’s press conference at the start of fall camp.

Related: Top storylines as the Wisconsin Badgers begin fall camp

Now, the Duck has made it all the way to Iowa City, Iowa and recently posted a photo trying to get into Kinnick Stadium.

The mascot appears to be on a full Midwest tour to alert the Big Ten that Oregon has arrived. It has also visited Minnesota and Wisconsin on this trek.

If the goal was to create headlines as the Ducks prepare for their first season in the Big Ten, the mascot has certainly achieved that.

Oregon is projected to contend for the conference title in 2024, which should guarantee significant screen time for the famous mascot. We ranked it No. 1 among all 18 Big Ten mascots in June. That selection continues to be validated as the weeks continue.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

The Oregon Duck continues its takeover of the Big Ten Conference, this time in Lincoln, Nebraska

The Oregon Ducks continues its takeover of the Big Ten, this time in Lincoln, Nebraska

The Oregon Duck is certainly making a first impression upon its arrival to the Big Ten Conference.

The mascot, or at least a large inflatable version of it, was seen floating down the White River in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana during Big Ten media days last week. It was a strong first statement upon joining the Big Ten, a statement that was then backed up by Oregon head coach Dan Lanning wondering if the inflatable duck could follow the team to every road game this season.

Related: Position battles to follow as Wisconsin Badgers begin 2024 fall training camp

The answer to that question may be ‘no’ given the lack of bodies of water in close proximity to most Big Ten stadiums. But if Lanning wants his mascot’s presence, that answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ Recent happenings point to it having zero trouble traveling to fellow Big Ten programs and making its presence felt.

The evidence: the duck traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska on Tuesday and crashed Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule’s press conference.

 

The Ducks and Cornhuskers do not meet on the field in 2024 barring a potential Big Ten title game matchup. But Oregon’s well-known mascot is still making Rhule and the Cornhuskers aware that the Ducks mean business upon joining the conference.

Note: we ranked the Oregon Duck No. 1 among Big Ten mascots last month. Its stock is only rising with stunts like this one.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Preseason Previews

Big Ten Team Previews: Indiana Hoosiers — Purdue Boilermakers — Illinois Fighting Illini — Northwestern Wildcats — Minnesota Golden Gophers — Nebraska Cornhuskers — Iowa Hawkeyes — Rutgers Scarlet Knights — Maryland Terrapins — Michigan State Spartans — USC Trojans — UCLA Bruins — Washington Huskies — Michigan Wolverines — Penn State Nittany Lions — Ohio State Buckeyes — Oregon Ducks — Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Position Previews: Quarterbacks — Running Backs — Wide Receivers — Offensive Lines — Tight Ends — Defensive Line — Linebackers — Cornerbacks — Safeties

Wisconsin Position Previews: Quarterback — Running Back — Wide Receiver

Dan Lanning wants to put a large inflatable Oregon Duck in Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota

Oregon HC Dan Lanning wants to put a large inflatable Oregon Duck in Lake Mendota

A primary storyline at 2024 Big Ten media days has been the conference’s West Coast newcomers, highlighted by the Oregon Ducks.

The Ducks are expected to contend to win the conference in 2024. They enter the season ranked No. 3 in the nation in ESPN’s SP+ and are the popular No. 2 pick in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State. The consensus is the Ducks are well-equipped to avoid any growing pains upon joining the now-18-program conference.

Related: The 6 most likely scenarios for Wisconsin’s 2024 football season

Head coach Dan Lanning and his program are not shying away from the spotlight at Big Ten media days. The program made its presence known from the start — first by sending a large inflatable Oregon Duck down the White River through downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

Lanning addressed that move, saying “I hope we get to take that big floating duck to all our away games.”

Connecting the dots, Lanning and the top-ranked Ducks are set to visit the Wisconsin Badgers on Nov. 16. That is a few months before Lake Mendota and Lake Monona freeze for the winter, allowing Oregon the opportunity to execute Lanning’s goal.

 

Wisconsin will need to play a nearly perfect defensive game to contend with star quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the high-flying Oregon offense. That defense may begin with ensuring that no inflatable ducks make it on to either lake in the city in advance of the game.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Big Ten Team Previews: Indiana Hoosiers — Purdue Boilermakers — Illinois Fighting Illini — Northwestern Wildcats — Minnesota Golden Gophers — Nebraska Cornhuskers — Iowa Hawkeyes — Rutgers Scarlet Knights — Maryland Terrapins — Michigan State Spartans — USC Trojans — UCLA Bruins — Washington Huskies — Michigan Wolverines — Penn State Nittany Lions — Ohio State Buckeyes — Oregon Ducks — Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Position Previews: Quarterbacks — Running Backs — Wide Receivers — Offensive Lines — Tight Ends — Defensive Line — Linebackers — Cornerbacks — Safeties

Wisconsin new Big Ten rival makes headlines at media days with giant inflatable mascot

Wisconsin new Big Ten rival makes headlines at media days with giant inflatable mascot

The 2024 Big Ten football season will be highlighted by the conference’s change. That change includes the addition of former Pac-12 powers USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, who will all try to make strong first impressions when the season kicks off in late August.

Oregon is taking that idea of a first impression to the extreme. It began its first moments in the conference at Big Ten media days by sending a gigantic inflatable duck down the White River in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

Related: Where Wisconsin lands in USA TODAY Sports’ 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

It was not a small rubber duck one would see at a playground or at the beach. Instead, it more resembled a large cargo ship — but in the form of Oregon’s famous mascot.

We have recently named the Oregon Duck the No. 1 mascot in the new expanded Big Ten Conference. A stunt like this one should only increase that prestige.

 

The Ducks football team are set to visit the Wisconsin Badgers on Nov. 16 in what will be one of the biggest games on Wisconsin’s schedule. The Badgers will be in search of a statement victory to establish the Luke Fickell era, while Oregon projects to be one of the sport’s true national title contenders.

This stunt is all fun and games. But Wisconsin fans should not accept a large inflated Oregon Duck on Lake Mendota or Monona leading up to the matchup between the two schools.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Notre Dame’s Leprechaun Mascot Over the Years

It was news to me to find out that June 17 isn’t just the anniversary of the O.J. Simpson police chase in 1994 but is also National Mascot Day.  I can only hope that you celebrated accordingly and responsibly.

In honor of the day, it’s as good of time as any to look back at the Notre Dame leprechaun mascot over the years.  The leprechaun became an official part of the Notre Dame cheer squad in 1960 and has been a mainstay on gameday ever since.

Enjoy some of the best photos of the Notre Dame leprechaun below to conclude your National Mascot Day celebrations!