Beauregard T. Rooster
Beauregard T. Rooster was the official costumed mascot for the UAB Blazers athletic teams from 1979 to 1992.
The first rooster mascot was created as a halloween costume by UAB employee Frank Sutherland, whose wife, Deborah sponsored the cheerleading team. He began appearing at a few student activities in the costume. After the first few attempts at a dragon mascot failed to catch on with fans, Gene Bartow heard about Sutherland's chicken and invited him to appear at basketball games. He continued for a while in an unofficial capacity until the mascot was adopted by the athletics department a few years later. Students who donned the feathered costume included Greg Blackman.
On April 14, 1981 the "San Diego Chicken", performed by Ted Giannoulas, made an appearance at Rickwood Field for the Birmingham Barons' home opener. He returned to Rickwood for a second time on August 18. The following June, Giannoulas criticized Beauregard as "ripping off" his costume in a letter to the editor of the Birmingham News. Years later UAB received an infringement notice from the owners of the San Diego Chicken's trade mark.
Beauregard was briefly succeeded by Blaze the Viking in 1993 before the present Blaze dragon made his debut in 1996. A costumed Beauregard T. Rooster made an unannounced return to Bartow Arena during the final game of the 2021–2022 season on March 5.
References
- "Malone, Jeane (1981) "Beauregard T. Rooster". The Phoenix (UAB yearbook)
- Adamson, Scott (June 25, 1982) "San Diego's 'chicken little' criticizes Beauregard." Kaleidoscope, Vol. 16, No. 3, p. 10
- Buchanan, Charles & Rosalind Fournier (January 2017) "Blazer Beginnings: The stories behind some of UAB's spirited traditions" UAB Magazine
External links
- The Many Faces of Blaze on Facebook