What would Homecoming be without USF's beloved mascot, Rocky the Bull? Conceived in 1965 as a plush toy to sell in the USF Bookstore, Rocky was first sketched by student graphics assistant, Ray Cooper, '66. In the early Seventies, Rocky was set to paper as a cartoon for USF Athletics to use in its newsletters. A snorting, fighting bull figure standing upright on two legs was trademarked in 1974 and used throughout the early Eighties. Rocky got a makeover in 1984, and again in 2003, when the current Rocky was unveiled at Homecoming. Tradition dictates that Rocky never speak, but we were able to track down a few former Rockys who were released from their vow of silence to tell us a little bit about their time as everybody's favorite Bull.
A Renegade Rocky
Matt Hitchcock, Mass Communications `06
by Arleen Spenceley, '08, USF Alumni Association
When Matt Hitchcock started his run as Rocky the Bull, he'd already had some mascot experience. For a year before he transferred to USF, he represented UCF as Knightro, one of Rocky's mascot rivals. But as soon as he got to the Tampa campus, he sent the cheerleading coach his resume. He wanted to be Rocky the Bull.
“I'm not the greatest athlete, but being the mascot presented an opportunity to be involved with sports from a unique perspective,” said Hitchcock, 31.
He spent three memorable years in the Rocky suit. When USF played UCF for the first time at Raymond James Stadium, Hitchcock knew he'd take some heat from the Golden Knight fans. Before the game, on his way to dance with the Herd of Thunder in the parking lot, Hitchcock had to walk through a crowd of UCF fans dressed in the Rocky suit, which has somewhat limited visibility. In the process, he kicked over one of their coolers.
“I didn't see (it),” he said. “Needless to say, the group didn't appreciate that.”
The UCF fans voiced their displeasure loud and clear. Things got tense. Somebody radioed for help, Hitchcock said.
“Somehow, that got out and the media reported that Rocky had been jumped by UCF students,” he said. Not true. “Heckling from the other team's fans is part of the fun. It happened all the time.”
Trading barbs with hecklers was fun, but the best part of playing Rocky was feeling like part of the team.
“I would argue that I had the greatest seat in the house,” he said. He spent three years on the field when he otherwise probably wouldn't have, he said. And he made some great memories.
“(I got to be) on the football field for some dramatic wins, like the 45 to 14 victory over Louisville (and I got to lead) the team out of the tunnel against my former team, UCF,” he said.
Hitchcock, who lives in Sarasota, went on to work as ThunderBug for the Tampa Bay Lightning and as Storm Dog for the Tampa Bay Storm. These days, he's the mascot for the Bradenton Marauders. But his years as Rocky mean a lot to him.
“Right before I stepped on stage to receive my diploma, I put the Rocky gloves on,” he said. He still has the photo of himself shaking President Judy Genshaft's hand with the furry, grey Rocky hands. It was bittersweet, he said, but it made his graduation “that much more special.”
A Rollicking Rocky
Mike Mashke, Economics `88
by Arleen Spenceley, '08, USF Alumni Association
For four years, Mike Mashke rocked the Rocky costume across the Tampa Bay area. He first slipped into the Rocky suit after a cheerleader friend issued him a challenge.
Before he changed his major to Economics, Mashke studied Sports Medicine. As part of that coursework, “I was assigned to the cheerleaders,” said Mashke, 46, who lives in Beaufort, SC. “I was taping ankles and wrists and watching the mascot and critiquing the guy in the costume.”
His roommate – one of the male cheerleaders – “was finally like, 'Why don't you shut up and try out?' (He) challenged me to put my money where my mouth was.”
So, Mashke auditioned and won the part.
“It's tons harder than it looks,” he said. “It could be the end of the game and you've got to dig deep to pull a lot of energy out. I equate it to running a marathon. And I can say that, because I have run a marathon.”
Suiting up to be Rocky means you can't be claustrophobic. You're confined, he said, and when sweat drips down your face, you can't do a thing about it. You're breathing your own carbon dioxide and sometimes, you can barely see out the suit. But Mashke loved every minute.
“I really got into the character,” he said. Mashke made Rocky a Big Man on Campus.
“Valentine's Day, I would go get a hundred carnations,” he said. He'd attach them to cards that said “Happy Valentine's Day from Rocky” and pass them out to all the University's secretaries. He made appearances at the U.C. flea markets, the campus bookstore and at the Gasparilla parades downtown. And, of course, he brought Rocky the Bull to life at USF basketball games.
“We went up to U.F. one game, when Norm Sloan was coach. It was our turn to do a time-out cheer,” said Mashke. “U.F. fans started hurling cups and trash at us and everything they threw, I'd stomp into the ground.”
Coach Sloan told him to get off the court. So he did. But in the locker room, Mashke got out an apparatus that he'd created to blow smoke out Rocky's nose. He came back to the court, jumping and stomping on the bleachers near the Gator fans.
“And I blew this blast of smoke out the bull's nose,” he said. “Ten seconds later, I had about four cops escorting me out of the arena. They said they did it because they feared for my life.”
Totally worth it, said Mashke. And it's something that he went on to do for other teams long after graduation. For 22 years, Mashke played mascots for local teams including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Tampa Bay Storm before he retired and went into banking.
“I was with [the Bucs] during the Super Bowl run and I actually have a Super Bowl ring from that experience,” Mashke said.
And it all started, he said, because he played the part of Rocky. “Rocky was my launching pad for my professional mascot career. He opened the door for me.”
A Reluctant Rocky
Renynold Gosselin, `78 Accounting, `79 Finance & MBA `81
by Arleen Spenceley, '08, USF Alumni Association
While Renynold Gosselin worked on his MBA, Phyllis Marshall – yes, that Phyllis Marshall – asked if he'd do her a favor. He said, “Sure.” Little did he know that she'd ask him to step out of his comfort zone and into the Rocky suit.
“It is hot. It is smelly,” said Gosselin, a manager of worldwide production support for Verizon Data Services. The first time he played Rocky the Bull, Gosselin said he was “scared to death.”
“Wasn't quite as bad the second and third time,” he said.
Marshall recruited him because the regular Rocky needed a sub for a few basketball games. Gosselin met Marshall, director of the University Center, when they served on several campus committees together. He felt like he couldn't say no to the campus legend. Turned out that saying yes was quite the experience.
“I wasn't nearly as good a dancer” as today's Rocky, said Gosselin, 55, who lives in New Tampa. “I couldn't keep up with these kids nowadays.”
Playing Rocky made him feel like a glorified cheerleader, he said, but he got the hang of the gig pretty quickly.
“By the time the game started, you'd get involved in the flow and the fans. All twelve or fifteen hundred of them,” he said. Some were “demonstrative and vocal and you stayed around them. The others were (either) the opponent's fans, and you didn't want anything to do with them, (or) the more seasoned basketball fans. Most of them would ignore me.”
Gosselin said he must have done a decent job as Rocky because at the end of the season, Marshall asked if he'd do it again next season. By then, Gosselin had found his voice.
“I said no,” said Gosselin. Too hot and smelly.
“I definitely feel for these kids who are out there,” he said. “It's a tough job. You're either sweating or getting jeered at.”
But even if only thrice, Gosselin is glad he did it.
“It was a nice experience,” he said. “At the time, I might not have thought quite that, but now, it's nice to think back on it.”
Check back tomorrow on GoUSFBulls.com with the story of "A Rollicking Rocky, Mike Mashke"
