The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, May 02, 1994, Page 7, Image 7
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Cocky makes many special appearance
University Club in April.
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Cocky comes c
By BRIAN GARLAND
Assistant Carolina! Editor
Cocky has had a good year.
He appeared in the Japan Bowl
over Christmas, wowing Japanese
v spectators, and then wowed the
judges at the national mascot championships
April 7-10 in San Diego,
where he won first place.
Everyone knows Cocky is very exuberant
and expressive, but he's also
very shy and doesn't talk that much.
It's a rule among mascots, he said, but
he agreed to come out of his shell, so
to speak, in a rare interview with The
Gamecock about life as a mascot and
as a student again at USC.
Hatcnea ana raisea in ^oiumoia, nc
enrolled at USC under an assumed
name in 1980 and because of his
v "gamecockiness," he was immediate7
ly named the university mascot.
Cocky was a student from 1980 to
1987, he said, under a goal to earn a
degree from every college at the university.
However, he secretly dropped
out for a few years and became a professional
mascot. But he said he
missed being a student and re-enrolled
just a couple of years ago and
doesn't plan to leave for a long time.
^ G: How are you doing in classes?
C: I've had to work a lot harder to
f^kejep my grades up. Preparing for
(^football and basketball games takes
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Cock
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hours and hours. I'm a full-time job.
G: Do you live on campus?
C: I live at the Roost. Every once in
a while, you might see me on the
Shutdecock going to class.
G: How does your roommate like
living with you?
C: He hates it because I leave feathers
in the sink. We get along, though.
He thinks it's kind of neat having a
celebrity for a roommate.
G: Is there a Cockette (or should I
say Coquette) in your life?
C: A lot of people ask that. Of
course, everyone met my parents at
the Parents' Weekend game last fall.
G: Just answer the question.
C: Uh, well, I'm still looking for that
special chick.
G: Any brothers or sisters?
C: I'm an only chick. I was spoiled.
That's why I love hamming it up at all
the games because I love being the
center of attention.
G: It sounds like being a mascot
takes up a lot of time.
C: It takes a lot of planning. It takes
hours to write skits and put music together.
At the same time, I'm doing
charity functions and personal appearances
for the university. Sewing
costumes takes some time, too.
G: Where do you make personal appearances?
C: I make regular appearances at
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David Mandrell/The Gamecock
idest living Gamecock letterman, at the
in ess
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Children's Hospital. I go see cancer
victims. I've done stuff for Just Say No
and, of course, Special Olympics. That
is the most enlightening. When I walk
up to them and give them attention,
they just go nuts!
G: Do you and the Clemson Tiger
hate each other?
C: A lot of people like to see the
Tiger and I fight, but we're friends.
We don't represent the football teams;
we represent the schools. I think it's
important to be like that. When you [
start competing, that's when the fights
start.
G: What do you do after the games?
C: I like to sit and relax, eat some
birdseed and drink some water. My j
feathers are. so thick, I sweat a lot.
With my pelt, it's about 100 degrees ^
on a 80-degree day.
G: How was the national champi- ^
onship in San Diego? Did you scope
the beach? c<
C: It was cold there. I had to keep x
my feathers warm. I brought my cl
bathing suit, but it rained. In fact, the ^
competition was supposed to be outside,
and the officials had to postpone C
it for four hours to move it inside to
San Diego State University. My feath- ^
ers were ruffled all day because I was ft
so nervous. t<
G: What did you do to prepare?
C: In order to make it to the final,
even ?
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SC's mascot Cocky brought home the
had to send in a three-minute videoipe.
The cheerleading squad and the
and were very important to the suc;ss
of the video and the whole year
ecause we all work together, and I
^uldn't have done it without them
rid the fans. Cocky won the national
hampionship, but I feel the school
ron the national chamoionshio.
G: You got to travel abroad last
hristmas, too, didn't you?
C: Yeah, I went to the Japan Bowl,
rhere college seniors play for proissional
scouts. 1 was lucky enough
3 go.
G: How did they react to you?
C: They don't have mascots running
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national championship from San Francisco
arnnnH in Tanan Arlnlts that were ^0 1
to 40 years old were acting like little n
kids, saying, "What was that? I hope it t
doesn't bite." And the kids loved it. j
It's neat that people of two totally different
cultures react in the same ex- c
act way. Everybody talks about different
races and cultures, but deep
down we're all the same. c
G: You also teach a mascot camp? i
C: Yes, I'm one of 10 mascots that {
teach others how to be one. ^
G: Sounds like "Tiny Toons"!
C: Exactly! It's located at East Tennessee
State University. I teach how
to get the crowds going and how to c
build props and get skits together.
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in March.
Tiat's where I got to meet all the SEC
nascots. Where else would you see
he Florida Gator, the Virginia Cavaier
and the Clemson Tiger hanging
>ut?
G: Do you have any dreams?
C: I would like to see the Game:ocks
win the national championship
n every sport. I work hard to be the
>est I can be. That's why I wanted to
vin the nationals so bad. I want to
telp other sports achieve that.
G: So is your worst enemy Clemson
t . i
)r losing:
C: No, the Colonel.
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