Rowdy (Dallas Cowboys)
Encyclopedia
Rowdy is the official mascot
of the NFL
's Dallas Cowboys
. He's been the team's mascot since 1996. His tenure overlapped with that of Pro Football Hall of Fame
r, Crazy Ray
's, who was the unoffocial mascot of the Cowboys from 1962 until his death in 2007 following the 2006 season. Rowdy takes part in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, The Salvation Army
, The Rise School of Dallas, Special Olympics, retirement centers, hospitals, schools, birthday parties, grand openings, Minor League Baseball
games around the country, conventions, parades, grocery store promotions, NBA games, weddings and sometimes will take a visit to the crowd during halftime. He has even been to the Pro Bowl
in 1999 and 2001. He also took part in TV events, which includes ESPN
's Alumni Beach Bowl, ABC
's Battle of the Gridiron and the Special Olympics
.
In 1996 Rowdy jumped on the scene as the Official Mascot of the Dallas Cowboys. As the Ambassador of the Dallas Cowboys, Rowdy's job includes, but is not limited to creating game day enthusiasm at Texas Stadium. He does this at home games by driving in on his four wheeler, tossing t-shirts into the stands, using signs like "Let's Go Cowboys," and mocking the opponents. Rowdy participates at every home game and selected away games.
At Training Camp, Rowdy's Kid Zone, where he plays with the kids at camp. He takes the kids through obstacle courses and has them chant for their favorite Cowboys player during practice. Kids also visit the inflatable Cowboys Experience, which includes a bouncy house, slide, football toss, and field goal kick. Rowdy takes pride in squirting the kids with water guns, and anyone who steps in his way like players, coaches, TV crews, and especially fans that come out to watch the Cowboys practice at camp. Fans enjoy the ice-cold water because it cools them down when it's 100 plus degrees, so as you can imagine, Rowdy is a popular Cowboy at camp.
Rowdy is proud to represent the Cowboys each year in selected cities for the annual Mascot convention. At this event the NFL Mascots compare and share ideas to help continue mascot antics and ways to market mascot awareness. Last year it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where ESPN did a documentary of the mascots that will be featured on ESPN's Under The Helmet.
In August 2009, Ted Ovletrea who played the character, was notified that the team was letting him go. Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels said the character of Rowdy is still part of the team, but officials are evaluating his role on game days. Rowdy was not seen on game days during the 2009-10 season.
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He's been the team's mascot since 1996. His tenure overlapped with that of Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
r, Crazy Ray
Crazy Ray
Crazy Ray was the unofficial mascot of the Dallas Cowboys. By some accounts, he was also the team's original mascot, who attended almost every home game since the team's inception.-History:...
's, who was the unoffocial mascot of the Cowboys from 1962 until his death in 2007 following the 2006 season. Rowdy takes part in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, The Rise School of Dallas, Special Olympics, retirement centers, hospitals, schools, birthday parties, grand openings, Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
games around the country, conventions, parades, grocery store promotions, NBA games, weddings and sometimes will take a visit to the crowd during halftime. He has even been to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1999 and 2001. He also took part in TV events, which includes ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Alumni Beach Bowl, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Battle of the Gridiron and the Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
.
In 1996 Rowdy jumped on the scene as the Official Mascot of the Dallas Cowboys. As the Ambassador of the Dallas Cowboys, Rowdy's job includes, but is not limited to creating game day enthusiasm at Texas Stadium. He does this at home games by driving in on his four wheeler, tossing t-shirts into the stands, using signs like "Let's Go Cowboys," and mocking the opponents. Rowdy participates at every home game and selected away games.
At Training Camp, Rowdy's Kid Zone, where he plays with the kids at camp. He takes the kids through obstacle courses and has them chant for their favorite Cowboys player during practice. Kids also visit the inflatable Cowboys Experience, which includes a bouncy house, slide, football toss, and field goal kick. Rowdy takes pride in squirting the kids with water guns, and anyone who steps in his way like players, coaches, TV crews, and especially fans that come out to watch the Cowboys practice at camp. Fans enjoy the ice-cold water because it cools them down when it's 100 plus degrees, so as you can imagine, Rowdy is a popular Cowboy at camp.
Rowdy is proud to represent the Cowboys each year in selected cities for the annual Mascot convention. At this event the NFL Mascots compare and share ideas to help continue mascot antics and ways to market mascot awareness. Last year it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where ESPN did a documentary of the mascots that will be featured on ESPN's Under The Helmet.
In August 2009, Ted Ovletrea who played the character, was notified that the team was letting him go. Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels said the character of Rowdy is still part of the team, but officials are evaluating his role on game days. Rowdy was not seen on game days during the 2009-10 season.