Reggie Redbird
Encyclopedia
Reggie Redbird is the mascot for Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...

 located in Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...

. Reggie is present at all home football games, women's' volleyball matches, men's basketball games, women's' basketball games, and appears at various other athletic events. Reggie also does numerous of appearances at schools and events within the Twin Cities,the state of Illinois, and the country.

Reggie Redbird is a student bedecked in costume. Reggie was named in 1980 after a contest among Junior Redbird Club Members.
The suit is donated by Rick Percy, general manager of Clemens and Associates Insurance and a longtime member of The Redbird Club.[1]

History

The nickname "Redbirds
Illinois State Redbirds
The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams that represent Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Teams play at the NCAA Division I level . The football team competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference while most other teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference...

" for the sports teams (replacing "Teachers") was adopted by the then Illinois State Normal University in 1923 by the athletic director Clifford E. "Pop" Horton, with an assist from The Daily Pantagraph sports editor Fred Young.

Horton liked "Cardinals" because the school colors, established in 1895-96, were cardinal and white, and the University teams were known by that nickname for a short period of time. Young recommended the change to "Redbirds" to avoid confusion in the headlines with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

baseball team.

External links


1 *An ISU page about Reggie Redbird
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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