Does Sparty tackle a fake wolverine mascot?

August 18, 2010 11:51 AM

Does Michigan State have a wolverine mascot that it brings out before MSU v. Michigan football games in East Lansing just so Sparty can tackle it?

I was a Michigan student in 2003 and went to the Michigan v. MSU game at Spartan Stadium. I swear that there was a wolverine mascot on the field before the game, and that Sparty ran up and tackled it. This was notable mainly because Michigan doesn't have a mascot. I assumed this was a regular thing in East Lansing, but I can't find confirmation that this happens or ever has happened anywhere.

Any MSU alums / fans out there who can tell me whether I have completely made this up? Anybody else there in 2003 and remember this happening?

Please tell me I'm not crazy.

posted by PhatLobley to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

I have a vague recollection of seeing some crazy, non-official wolverine mascot at a game once. What you describe corroborates what I am remembering, although I don't recall the mascot getting tackled by Sparty.

What did the wolverine look like? I ask because I can somewhat remember, and I would like to see if our memories match up.
posted by Team of Scientists at 12:34 PM on August 18, 2010

Response by poster: I remember it being sort of a light, electric blue, with bright yellow stripes. I don't have a good memory of what the thing looked like. Basically I just remember thinking that the colors were off (way too light / bright) and that it was really silly looking. It might have been wearing a sweater, but I was pretty far away and I could just be imposing my mental image of Bucky the Badger onto it.
posted by PhatLobley at 12:39 PM on August 18, 2010

Yes, I definitely remember it being mostly blue, and looking ridiculous, like some kind of futuristic superhero version of a Wolverine mascot. I seem to recall it was a spandex outfit as opposed to a plushy/furry one.
posted by Team of Scientists at 12:51 PM on August 18, 2010

Best answer: Willy the Wolverine (that thread also has a picture).
posted by tuxster at 1:20 PM on August 18, 2010

Best answer: Here you go. Metafilter solves everything...even by proxy.

Trivia: the necropsy of the last actual wolverine* in Michigan was performed at MSU.

*poor girl. :(
posted by Uniformitarianism Now! at 1:22 PM on August 18, 2010

That is not at all what I was picturing. That thing is hilariously awful though.
posted by Team of Scientists at 2:29 PM on August 18, 2010

State has a tradition of doing that -- making a faux 'mascot' for the visiting team so that Sparty can tackle it. They did a chip bag last year when the Chippewas came down from Mt Pleasant (and then the chip bag beat Sparty. oops).
posted by jlkr at 3:47 PM on August 18, 2010

Response by poster: So glad I wasn't making it up. Thanks, y'all. Thought about going to mgoblog, but I'm not a member over there. The picture a) is disturbing and b) matches what I remember.

As an aside, the difference between the two linked threads is... illustrative.
posted by PhatLobley at 10:48 PM on August 18, 2010

New appearance by Willy
Check out at 30 seconds and again at 38 seconds.
posted by tuxster at 11:10 AM on October 5, 2010