Lil' Red Earns Official Invite to Mascot Hall

Lincoln - Nebraska's beloved inflatable ambassador of cheer, Lil' Red, earned its official invitation for induction into The Mascot Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 15. Lil' Red, who was making a live appearance on ESPN's GameDay Built by Home Depot in front of thousands of fans at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, was one of three collegiate mascots named to the Hall's third class.

Husker fans played a major role in Lil' Red's induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame. The Husker Nation united to cast more than 120,000 votes for Lil' Red in a two-week period that ended on Sept. 6. Lil' Red edged Ohio State's Brutus Buckeye in the final tally, as both Lil' Red and Brutus finish with nearly three times the votes of the next closest mascot, Western Kentucky's Big Red.

All three of the famed collegiate mascots earned induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame. The three collegiate mascots will be joined in the class by the San Antonio Spurs Coyote and Mr. Met from the professional ranks. Officially, all five characters earn the coveted "Golden Silly String Award."

The 2007 class will join the Phillie Phanatic, the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, and Famous Chicken who were inducted in 2005 along with last year’s class made up of Clutch the Bear, KC Wolf, The Jazz Bear, YoUDee, Aubie, and Bucky Badger.

2007 Mascot Hall of Fame Inductees

• Lil' Red (University of Nebraska)
• Brutus Buckeye (Ohio State University)
• Big Red (Western Kentucky University)
• The San Antonio Spurs Coyote
• Mr. Met

The Mascot Hall of Fame (www.mascothalloffame.com) created to recognize the art and skill of great characters. Their performances have entertained kids and adults alike for generations and have inspired their teams and communities. Each year 12 characters battle for the "Golden Silly String Award."

"The Mascot Hall of Fame honors great mascot performers, performances, and character branding programs that have inspired tradition and positively affected their communities," said David Raymond, president of the Mascot Hall of Fame executive committee and the original Phillie Phanatic. The Mascot Hall of Fame Executive Committee came together to review all the nominations sent into the Mascot Hall of Fame and these great characters were chosen to make the ballot. This committee includes such sports luminaries as Mike Veeck of the Goldklang Group; Dennis Lehman of the Cleveland Indians; Suzy Kolber, ESPN host and anchor; Jon Spoelstra, Author of Marketing Outrageously, along with other prominent figures in the world of sports.