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Sebastian the Ibis is the
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
for the Miami Hurricanes of [Miami University. He is an Anthropomorphism">anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
white ibis with a Miami Hurricanes football">American white ibis">white ibis with a Miami Hurricanes football Jersey (clothing)">jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
, number 0.


History

The ibis was chosen as Miami's unofficial mascot by Nathan Duncan in 1926, after the [Miami University student body chose the school's yearbook's name to be ''The Ibis''. :"Miami adopted a native marsh bird called the Ibis as the official mascot in 1926. The Ibis is known for its bravery as a
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
approaches. Folklore maintains that other birds look to the Ibis for leadership. The Ibis uses its instinct to detect danger. It is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits, giving warning that danger is imminent. As the storm passes the Ibis is the first to reappear, a sign that clear skies are approaching." The first official mascot for the Miami Hurricanes was a 65-pound brown and white boxer dog named Hurricane I. Chosen in 1950, the canine wore a ceremonial orange and green blanket with his name lettered in white. Sebastian was created in August 1957 by Norman A. Whitten, Director of the Student Union at UM, and was used as a
homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...
competition entry. The next year, student John Stormont performed at
Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football team represents the University of Miami in college football. The Hurricanes compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Coastal Division of the Atlanti ...
games dressed up in a homemade ibis costume. The original costume was made from various materials: armolite insulation for the head, white terry cloth for the body to resemble feathers, ROTC spats for the feet, and toes made from burlap. "The whole costume took three weeks to complete and cost about $30", Stormont said in a ''
Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...
'' interview. The most recent iteration of the costume dates back to 1984. The ibis was originally named "Icky", but was later renamed after San Sebastian Hall, where John Stormont was a resident. The building, now an apartment building, still stands at the intersection of LeJeune Road and University Drive in
Coral Gables Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the U ...
. During the first national championship season for the Miami Hurricanes football team, the Ibis was portrayed by Bill Mooney, a senior at the university from
Orangeburg, New York Orangeburg is a hamlet and census-designated place, in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Tappan, south of Blauvelt, east of Pearl River and west of Piermont. The population was 4,568 at the 2 ...
. This second generation Ibis costume was designed and made by UM alumnus and former
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
artist Randy Jacky (RJ) Ogren. Sebastian appeared in the 1983 National Championship victory parade riding with then head coach Howard Schnellenberger following the Hurricanes winning the 1983 NCAA national football championship. From 1984 to 1992, Sebastian was portrayed by John Routh, who also portrayed the Miami Maniac at University of Miami baseball games, and later by Billy the Marlin for the Florida Marlins. Routh created Sebastian's signature C-A-N-E-S cheer in which Sebastian forms the letters with his body. Sebastian typically leads the University of Miami football team onto the field before games. During home games at Hard Rock Stadium, this scene is one of the most notable in all of
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
, accompanied by the release of smoke as Sebastian leads the Hurricanes team onto the field at the game's beginning.


Controversies

On October 28, 1989, Sebastian was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear prior to Miami's game against long-standing rival
Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
at
Doak Campbell Stadium Doak S. Campbell Stadium (in full Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium), popularly known as "Doak", is a football stadium on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the home field of the Florida State Semin ...
in Tallahassee. Sebastian was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers and detained but ultimately released. Miami quarterback
Gino Torretta Gino Louis Torretta (born August 10, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. He played college football at the University of Miami, won the Heisman Trophy in 1992, and w ...
, who started the game in place of injured
Craig Erickson Craig Neil Erickson (born May 17, 1969) is a former professional quarterback who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He ...
, told
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'"


See also

*
List of college mascots in the United States __NOTOC__ This is an incomplete list of U.S. college mascots' names, consisting of named incarnations of live, costumed, or inflatable mascots. For team names, see List of college sports team nicknames. Mascot index 0–9 * #1 Fan – child- ...


References


External links

* {{ACC Mascots Atlantic Coast Conference mascots Miami Hurricanes Miami Hurricanes football 1957 establishments in Florida