Rowdy (mascot)

Rowdy
Rowdy the Roadrunner
University	University of Texas at San Antonio
Conference	Conference USA
Description	Anthropomorphic roadrunner
Origin of name	Student election
First seen	1977

Rowdy (officially Rowdy the Roadrunner) is the mascot of the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners. He appears at athletic events, such as football and basketball games, and other university sponsored events. An anthropomorphic roadrunner, Rowdy is based upon the Greater Roadrunner.

History

The origin of Rowdy dates back to 1977, when the Student Representative Assembly (the forerunner to the modern Student Government Association) was openly debating the university's mascot.^[1] An original vote, which favored "The Armadillos" and "The Stars" was declared null and void by the SRA, making way for a second campus-wide poll.^[1] The second election was hotly contested between "The Roadrunners" and "The Armadillos"—with vigorous support on either side.^[1] after the final vote, the roadrunner was announced as the official mascot of UTSA at a bonfire celebration later that year.^{[1] [2]}

The older version of Rowdy.

On March 1, 2008, UTSA unveiled the new Rowdy and UTSA logos at the homecoming men's basketball game vs. Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. Many students and administrators at UTSA thought the previous Rowdy bore too much resemblance to the Kansas Jayhawk.^[3]

References

1. "Go...'Dillos?: How UTSA's Mascot Became the Roadrunner." The Top Shelf: Blog of the UTSA Archives and Special Collections, December 19, 2008.
2. Roadrunner Days - UTSA Mascot
3. UTSA Athletics unveils new logos, word marks