Aug. 13, 2004
COLUMBIA, SC – As the campaign for the West Wing heats up, 12 other candidates have already put their best foot – or wing or paw or claw – forward in a very different election – the honor of being named to the Capital One All-America Mascot team. From this battle, South Carolina’s very own Cocky has emerged from the campaign trail as one of the 12 members of the glamorous Capital One All-America Mascot Team. “Mascots are the heart and soul of every team,” said Diana Don Colby at Capital One. “We are thrilled to give Cocky the recognition he deserves as a member of the 2004 Capital One All-America Team. Not only does Cocky have bragging rights as part of this elite team, he will be featured in a national TV ad campaign.” Now the competition really heats up as Cocky embarks on an 11-week national campaign to be named the supreme Capital One Mascot of the Year. Check out Cocky’s worthy competition:
| The 2004 Capital One All-America Mascot Team | |
| Air Force Academy – The Bird | University of Montana – Monte |
| Auburn University – Aubie | University of Nevada/Las Vegas – Hey Reb |
| James Madison University – Duke Dog | University of South Carolina – Cocky |
| University of Georgia – Hairy Dawg | Virginia Tech – Hokie Bird |
| University of Kentucky – Scratch | Western Kentucky University – Big Red |
| University of Maryland – Testudo | University of Minnesota – Goldy Gopher |
“Cocky has a chance to defend his title after being named the 2003 Capital One Mascot of the Year,” said Ayanna Wakefield, Assistant Sports Information Director of South Carolina. “This is a great honor for both the University of South Carolina and Cocky. Now is our chance to crown South Carolina’s favorite as the king of Mascots.” This year’s fuzzy crew was chosen from Division IA and IAA athletic programs with college football teams. A panel of judges — including mascot guru and historian, Dr. Roy Yarbrough; former college mascot and current sports marketer from Richmond Sports Backers Scott Schricker; and representatives from ESPN and Capital One — carefully analyzed each contender and scored them based on their (1) interaction with fans, (2) sportsmanship and (3) community service. HELP ELECT COCKY AS KING OF MASCOTS
Cocky will compete in 11 weekly grueling match-ups with the other finalists. From October 11-December 26, fans can vote for Cocky at www.capitalonebowl.com or www.uscsports.com. The Mascot with the best win/lost record will win the online portion of the contest. This online “popular” vote will be combined with a judges’ ranking (50/50 weighting) to determine who gets the ultimate title. With your help, Cocky can defend his title successfully and become the first back-to-back title holder of this honor. The winner will be pronounced National Mascot of the Year on January 1, 2005 during the nationally televised Capital One Bowl on ABC.
