At age 80, BU mascot still ‘Rhetty’ to go

The Boston University Spiders? Nah.

How about the BU Moose? No, that doesn’t work either.

As crazy as it may seem, both of these ideas were original possibilities to represent the teams of Boston University. In 1922, students began questioning the proposed choice of the Terrier as the school mascot. According to reports, the idea of using the spider as the mascot had a creative twist, with each leg intended to represent one of the schools on campus. The Terrier eventually won out, as it is the only animal unique to Boston.

While other schools have their Wildcats, Eagles, Warriors and Huskies, BU has its 40-pound yipping dog that would probably not scare your grandmother. While Rhett and his scowling mug are out to change that, Rhett said the highlight of his job is the ability to travel with the BU teams.

‘Just being able to go to every BU sporting event, especially the playoffs, is a thrill within itself,’ Rhett said, holding true to the long-standing mascot tradition of not revealing his or her true identity. ‘But the ability to travel with the teams, like with last year’s America East Championship basketball team, is the most memorable part of my job.’

While Rhett was officially created as the team mascot in 1922, celebrating his 80th birthday just last month at a home ice hockey game against Boston College, it would be 28 years before Rhett would actually take a physical form. During the homecoming parade in 1950, Rhett appeared with a paper mache mask and a cape, and was not heard from again.

According to former sports marketing staff member Noah Pransky, the first time Rhett appeared at a sporting event was in the early ’80s when a College of Communication sophomore named Darryl Wright created, funded and wore a Rhett costume to home football games. His popularity among fans influenced then-president John Silber to add Rhett as an official part of the athletic department. According to Pransky, the original costume looked more like a docile house pet than an intimidating force, and it was not until his 75th birthday in 1997 that Rhett assumed the teeth-bearing scowl that he has today.

‘That first costume was supposedly made of just felt,’ Pransky said. ‘But after the university recognized Rhett officially, he took on a more menacing look.’

The story behind the name ‘Rhett’ is one of those questions every prospective student asks during open house or orientation, and also one of those stories that sometimes draws a chuckle from friends and family. While the Terrier may not seem fierce and intimidating, it is at least unique. Only one other Div. I school, Saint Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., uses the Terrier as its mascot.

According to Mark Bassotti, a member of the BU sports marketing staff and a friend of Rhett, the name comes from the movie ‘Gone With the Wind,’ and references the school colors. Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara, the main love interests in the movie, are said to be the inspiration for the name.

‘With scarlet as the school’s main color,’ Bassotti said, ‘it makes perfect sense. Who loves Scarlet as much as Rhett?’

While Rhett’s life began at a football game, the end of BU football in 1997 did not mean the end for the mascot.

‘Of course the football games were big for me,’ Rhett said. ‘But the hockey games and all of the BU sports have always been important. The Terriers won the national ice hockey championship in 1995 and were runners up in 1997, so we were on a roll.’

Just a year after losing his beloved football team, Rhett was honored with a feature in the Boston Herald naming him the best college mascot in the city. But he didn’t stop there.

Early last year, the BU sports marketing department caught wind of a national mascot competition to be held in Orlando, Fla. The staff immediately began working on a plan to get Rhett to the Sunshine State.

‘Rhett was a huge hit at the competition,’ said Pransky, who accompanied Rhett on his trip, as six-foot tall Terriers usually do not travel alone. ‘He finished third in the video portion, which showed what Rhett does around campus and in the community, and fourth overall.’

Competing against huge state schools like the University of Delaware and the University of Minnesota, and football powerhouses like the University of Tennessee and Auburn University, Rhett was the only mascot from a private university to finish in the top 30. Topped only by ‘YoUDee’ the Bluehen from Delaware, ‘Smokey’ from Tennessee and ‘Goldy’ the Golden Gopher from Minnesota, Rhett was the top rookie at the competition, the only mascot from the northeast in the top 30, and the only representative from a non-football school to finish in the top 15.

‘I think it’s outstanding that all the work that my friends and I put in around campus and in the community during the year can accumulate into a rewarding experience such as a national competition.’ Rhett said. ‘It’s a great way for BU to show off against the major college sports institutions and a great way for BU to get into the national spotlight.’

Rhett does not limit his appearances to BU sporting events. Rhett has appeared at birthday parties and charity events around the city, is a frequent visitor to the George Sherman Union, and has even appeared at a wedding.

‘I try to get all over campus,’ Rhett said. ‘I go to the GSU to get fans excited about an upcoming game, I helped out at a sorority car wash last year, and I sometimes like to go rollerblading on the Esplanade.’

In the absence of football, Rhett has greatly improved his skating skills, whether it be on the Esplanade or at Walter Brown Arena. Whether he is handing out pizza, taunting opposing fans or tossing pucks to the crowd, Rhett says he is always having a ball.

‘The hockey games are great,’ Rhett said. ‘I especially love when I grab a hockey stick and try to make a shot from one end to the other. On those rare occasions when I make it, I get a big cheer from the crowd, and get them fired up.’

While BU hockey might not be on television as much as Tennessee football or Duke University basketball, Rhett is in rare company as far as sports fans are concerned. He has appeared in two commercial spots for ESPN’s SportsCenter as part of the network’s ‘This is SportsCenter’ advertising campaign that has won numerous awards and attracted many other sports stars.

‘There’s a funny story behind that,’ Pransky says. ‘I was helping out with Wally the Green Monster [mascot for the Boston Red Sox] and was in Seattle for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2001. I was actually in a bathroom and I bumped into [SportsCenter anchor] Kenny Mayne. I asked him if Rhett would ever be invited to do a ‘This is SportsCenter’ commercial. We exchanged e-mails, and they included Rhett in the next round of ads.’

While Rhett was included in the background of one commercial showing the ESPN staff doing the wave in the studio, he received the starring role in an ad of his own. The simple 15-second commercial shows Rhett sitting in a doctor’s office in his hockey jersey with a doctor taking his blood pressure.

‘The SportsCenter ads were another great way to get BU into the national spotlight,’ Rhett said. ‘And getting to play around with the SportsCenter anchors wasn’t bad either.’

Rhett also intended to star in another SportsCenter spot in which NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte looks out a window of the ESPN studio to see his racecar being taken for a joyride in the parking lot. While Rhett was supposed to be the car thief in the commercial, scheduling problems caused the job to be given to the Georgetown University Hoya.

Just as teams have rivals that they look forward to the entire season, mascots have their moment in the sun when they get to have other mascots around. Especially mascots that they don’t like. When Beanpot time rolls around, Rhett says he is in his glory, as it is the one chance he has to interact with other mascots.

While Northeastern University has its Husky, and Harvard University, has, well, whatever a Crimson has, the favorite target of Rhett’s ire is and will always be Baldwin, the Eagle from Boston College.

‘I don’t like Baldwin because chickens are not supposed to skate,’ Rhett said. ‘And I still can’t decide if he’s supposed to be a chicken or an oversized pigeon.’

Rhett is also not shy about BU’s Beanpot dominance, and was quick to point out the minimal number of Beanpots in Chestnut Hill.

‘Whenever I go to his place, he doesn’t have anything to cook the beans in.’

Baldwin was unavailable for comment.