Big Red
Big Red, Western Kentucky University's athletic mascot, was born in the fall of 1979 and celebrates its birthday on December 1st. Big Red can be best described as the Spirit of Western!
The huge, furry, lovable creature was originally designed and built by WKU student Ralph Carey, ('80 WKU graduate), of Cincinnati, and made its' debut during the Hilltoppers' 1979-80 basketball season. Big Red has become a big hit with fans of all ages throughout the state and the nation. Big Red's signature moves are the belly slide and belly shake.
The ultimate fan and supporter of all WKU's intercollegiate sports, Big Red won the "Key to Spirit" award, the highest honor presented to team mascots at the time, at the Universal Cheerleading Association competition in 1980, 1981 and again in 1983.
In the spring of 1990, Big Red reached the "Final Four" of the UCA's second annual national championship event in San Antonio, TX, taking third-place honors. Then, in the spring of 1996, Big Red reached the "Final Four" of ESPN SportZone's "Battle of the Mascots" in public balloting on the Internet.
Big Red was the centerpiece of ESPN's promotion of the 25,000th Sports Center, airing in August 2002. Since 2002, Big Red has also been selected into the Capital One All-America Mascot Team eight of the ten years of its existence. In 2005, Big Red placed second at the Universal Cheerleader Association's Summer Camp in Knoxville, TN. Also, in 2005 Big Red was voted the favorite mascot (of participating schools) at the NCAA Mascot Mania celebration in Indianapolis, IN.
