UToledo Unveils New Mascot Plaza on Centennial Mall

UToledo Unveils New Mascot Plaza on Centennial Mall

UToledo's Rocky and Rocksy stuck around Centennial Mall following the Homecoming Pep Rally on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Bronze statues of the mascots striking camera-ready poses are now a permanent addition in the heart of campus after being unveiled during the festivities beginning at 12:30 p.m.

"Rocky and Rocksy are at the heart of UToledo," said Jason Toth, senior associate vice president for administration. "We're excited for these iconic figures to be permanent fixtures on Centennial Mall, lending their school spirit to students, alumni and others who spend time on campus for sporting events and social gatherings."

Rocky has been supporting the Toledo Rockets since the late 1960s, with the first UToledo student to don the costume making his debut at football and basketball games in the fall of 1968. The theatre department supplied that inaugural costume: a wastepaper basket with a pointed rocket top made of papier-mâché.

Rocky has changed looks several times since then, evolving from a tall, metal rocket helmet with a bellbottom jumpsuit in the early 1970s, to a big, blue plush in the late 1980s. His blue and gold rocket man costume, complete with jetpack, was unveiled in 1998, and it was updated to its current look in 2008.

Rocky's female counterpart and best friend, Rocksy, joined the fun in 2011.

Their life-sized likenesses, created by artist Virgil Oertle, who specializes in branded mascot benches, depict the current iterations of Rocky and Rocksy. They're installed in a new plaza facing the steps of Thompson Student Union, standing with a space between them to accommodate posed photographs and selfies. University Hall rises behind the pair in a fitting background.

The new mascot plaza and statues are entirely donor-funded.

The unveiling took place during the Homecoming Pep Rally and Eat the Streets, an event bringing food trucks and inflatables to Centennial Mall from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Each are part of a series of events leading up to Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The Homecoming game will see the Rockets take the field against the Miami RedHawks at 3:30 p.m. in Glass Bowl Stadium, following the Edward C. and Helen G. Schmakel Parade beginning at 10 a.m.

For more information, go to the UToledo Homecoming website.