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NEWS
Marshall debuts new Marco
The new Marco costume is unveiled during the Marshall vs Central Florida football game at the Joan C. Edwards stadium on Saturday, November 15, 2008.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- Even before the game began, children in the stands at the Joan C. Edwards Stadium could be heard asking about Marco.
Ten-year-old Cooper Adkins was one of many excited to see the new Thundering Herd mascot debut before Marshall's homecoming football game against Central Florida at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Marshall's favorite furry mascot evolved this weekend with an unveiling of a new Marco after more than 20 years of the same look.
The Marshall University Alumni Association partnered with university personnel and the Huntington community to raise money for the makeover. Two new Marco uniforms were made at a cost of $9,000.
Kids weren't the only ones curious about the new bison, though. Adults, too, were talking about the mascot before the game.
"I like it. It looks good," said Rick Spurlock of Proctorville when Marco appeared on the field before kick-off.
Spurlock, who sells lemonade at the stadium, said he is used to seeing the old Marco but he was "due for a change."
Marshall fan Jack Bybee of Huntington said he wasn't quite as sold on the new look.
"It's going to take awhile to get used to," he said as he wondered aloud about Marco's "pants."
The revelation of the new mascot followed performances by the Marshall marching and alumni bands and a special tribute for those lost in the 1970 Marshall University plane crash, as well as others lost recently from the Marshall family lost.
The new costume was crafted by Dale Morton Studios in Hurricane.
Marco first appeared in the 1954 Marshall College yearbook after being created by two Marshall students who graduated that year. Marco was chosen for Marshall's mascot emblem because when used as capital letters, Marco was an abbreviation for Marshall College. In 1961, the Marco name was officially retained.
Marco has seen his share of changes over the years. During the later World War II years, he appeared in military uniform, sometimes in a dress coat, sometimes with a sailor's cap and snorting, and in other representations.
Bybee and others said the new costume unveiled on Saturday was definitely deserved.
"I think I'm going to like it eventually," he said.
