At Center Court With Brutus Buckeye No. 00 – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Some Ohio State fans have the stuffed Brutus that plays the fight song and waves his hand. Others have the Brutus Buckeye pillow or even the bobblehead. But who is this beloved mascot that runs around at Ohio State sporting events boasting that the Buckeyes are No. 1? Who is Brutus Buckeye – under all that scarlet and gray?
Whether he is signing autographs, taking pictures or pepping up the crowd, Brutus is one of the most recognizable symbols on campus. Take away the red sweat pants, scarlet and gray sweater and, of course, the buckeye head, and meet Cassidy Mullins, one of three people who don the mascot uniform this year.
A junior zoology major from Findlay, Ohio, Mullins has been Brutus for two years now. During his freshman year at Ohio State, Mullins wanted to get involved on campus. Not knowing just how involved he would be, Mullins decided to try out for the open mascot position.
“I was at a hockey game and realized it would be good to get involved at Ohio State,” Mullins said. “There was something missing and I figured trying out for Brutus would be something good.”
When trying out, prospective mascots must prepare a skit that involves Brutus Buckeye. Mullins opted for the traditional rivalry bit that included a girl, a Michigan fan and Brutus, who ended up saving the day.
“I had one of my friends dress up in a Michigan jersey and pick on a girl,” Mullins explained. “I (Brutus) came out and pretended to fight with the Michigan guy. Brutus then saved the girl.”
Mullins landed the position along with Bill Rumple. If Brutus tends to grow a couple inches each way, it is not because of his wolverine diet. There are actually three different mascots: Mullins, Rumple and Ty Schlegel. All three have been important contributing factors to the entire cheerleading squad, Judy Bunting, head cheerleading coach, said.
“We are very fortunate to have three Brutuses,” Bunting said. “They are all scholar-athletes which shows that they can excel in the classrooms and commit the time to being Brutus. They learn from each other and are committed to the title of Brutus. Bill, Cassidy and Ty each add their own creativity to the character.” The best way to recognize Mullins as Brutus is by a sobbing child. With the head on, Mullins stands 6-feet-5-inches and naturally is the biggest Brutus. For a small child, Mullins towers over them, which sometimes gets a little scary at the age of 3. Though, if Brutus is spotted crowd surfing and strutting his stuff, there is a good chance it is Mullins.
“I would consider myself the fan-oriented Brutus,” Mullins said. “I like to visit in the stands, sign autographs and take pictures. I also have a certain strut. The way I took the character was that Brutus was tough and not to be messed with.”
Mullins said there are times when the character does take over and he feels more like Brutus than himself. Mullins believes that he and Rumple have really expanded upon the character from former mascots. The tradition and definition of Brutus Buckeye is still upheld throughout the years, though Mullins has played upon the character.
“We have worked very hard developing the Brutus character,” Mullins said. “Brutus has always been a visible symbol of the university, but it seems as if we have allowed Brutus to also become the attitude of OSU.”
Brutus Buckeye is in the running for the Capital One National Mascot of the Year award. Mullins was able to travel to Los Angeles, Calif., as Brutus and film commercials for promotional stunts – commercials for Home Depot and ESPN to name a few.
“It was amazing how he (Mullins) adapted to the environment at the Los, Angeles commercial shoot,” Bunting said.
Fans can vote for Brutus daily through Dec. 22 by visiting ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Mullins said if Brutus does win Mascot of the Year, the title would represent all the Ohio State mascots, past and present.
“I have been able to speak with former Brutus mascots,” Mullins said. “If we do win, it would be for all the former mascots.”
During the women’s basketball season, Brutus can be spotted in the arena about 45 minutes before tip-off. He is busy working the crowd and getting fans pumped up for the next Buckeye victory. As a celebrity in Value City Arena, Brutus likes to sign autographs and pose for pictures. In between periods, Brutus assists the Ohio State marketing and promotions staff and enjoys throwing out pizza boxes and T-shirts, racing remote control cars or conducting a dance-off. However, the favorite aspect of the game for Brutus is…
“The looks on people’s faces,” Mullins said. “I will go to change (out of the costume) at the end of the game and a little kid will run up to me. You can just see that you made their day because all they wanted was to see Brutus.”
With his senior year not too far away, would Mullins return for a third year as Brutus? Or does the 2003-04 season mark his last hoorah?
“Yes, I would return and no, I would not,” Mullins said. “Yes, because it would be hard to walk away and no because of school. I never thought that I would be Brutus. It is one of the best decisions I have made. There is a certain pride factor that comes along with it and I would not give that up.”
