Big Red (Western Kentucky University)

Big Red
University	Western Kentucky University
Conference	C-USA
Description	Red cartoon-like character
First seen	1979
Hall of Fame	2007

Big Red is the name given to Western Kentucky University's mascot, a red, furry blob created by WKU student Ralph Carey in 1979. Big Red is meant to symbolize the spirit of WKU students and alumni as well as the sports teams' nickname, the "Hilltoppers," a name chosen because the school's campus sits atop a hill standing 232 feet (71 m) above the Barren River flowing through WKU's home city of Bowling Green.^[1]

Recognition

Big Red was an immediate hit, winning the "Key to the Spirit" award at the Universal Cheerleading Association competition in 1980, 1981 and 1983. He reached the Universal Cheerleading Association's Final Four and was awarded 2nd runner-up to collegiate Mascot of the Year in 1990. In 1996 he reached the Final Four of ESPN's "Battle of the Mascots." He was also featured prominently in the promotion for ESPN's 25,000th episode of SportsCenter.^[2]

Big Red has been selected eight times to compete in the Capital One Mascot Challenge in the competition's ten-year history, reaching the semifinals of the 2006 Capital One Mascot Challenge.^[3]

Big Red is the inaugural member of the Capital One Mascot Challenge Hall of Fame.

Controversy

Big Red found himself in the center of an international controversy in 2004 when the university filed suit against Mediaset, a television station founded by Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. The suit claimed that Gabibbo, a mascot for some of the network's programs (i.e.: "Striscia la Notizia" and "Paperissima Sprint"), was an exact replica of Big Red. Gabibbo debuted in 1990, eleven years after Big Red, and Gabibbo's creator, Antonio Ricci, told Italian magazine Novella 2000 in 1991 that "Big Red became Gabibbo." In a later interview with The New York Times Ricci recanted the 1991 statement, saying he was only joking with the magazine.^[4]

On December 6, 2007, Michelle Day of the College Heights Herald reported, "An Italian judge ruled against Western and in favor of an Italian television company in a $250 million lawsuit for copyright and trademark infringement. Western, Crossland Enterprises Inc. and Adfra sued television company Mediaset in 2002, saying the company copied Big Red to create Gabibbo, the star of a satirical news show the company airs in Italy."

References

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball

Venues	Red Barn (1920–1931) Health & Physical Education Building (1931–1963) E. A. Diddle Arena (1963–present)

Culture & lore	Big Red

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football

Venues	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (1968–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Eastern Kentucky: Battle of the Bluegrass Middle Tennessee: 100 Miles of Hate Murray State: Battle for the Red Belt

Culture & lore	Big Red "Stand Up and Cheer" Big Red Marching Band One Second of Laterals

People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Mascots of Conference USA

Norm the Niner (Charlotte)
Roary (FIU)
Owlsley (Florida Atlantic)
Champ and Tech (Louisiana Tech)
Marco the Buffalo (Marshall)
Lightning (Middle Tennessee)
Scrappy (North Texas)
Big Blue (Old Dominion)
Sammy the Owl (Rice)
Seymour d'Campus (Southern Miss)
Blaze (UAB)
Paydirt Pete (UTEP)
Rowdy (UTSA)
Big Red (Western Kentucky)

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