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 conitnued 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.

The costumed chicken provoked an infringement notice from the owners of the San Diego Chicken's trade mark. He was briefly succeeded by Blaze the Viking in 1993 before the present Blaze dragon made his debut in 2005.

References

• "Malone, Jeane (1981) "Beauregard T. Rooster". The Phoenix (UAB yearbook)

External links

• The Many Faces of Blaze on Facebook