(07-27-2013 12:00 PM)galojah Wrote:  

(07-27-2013 12:53 AM)Higher Education Wrote:  I was just kidding about the Italian thing. I think it's really weird, but not an insult for a foreign company to rip off your mascot.

Big Red was also the featured mascot in all of the ESPN 25,000th Sportcenter episode advertising campaign.

My best friend is the one in the suit for that one...He Loved it, said John ANderson was really nice..Dan Patrick not so much, apparently he went to EKU, haha...

Anyways my friend had a blast in costume, did it for 4 years, got to go all over the United States...Was on Good Morning AMerica too with the all american mascot team and also they were messing around on Times Square, said he almost got ran over several times...I had to fill in for a couple of appearnances, not sure how my good friend did it, my neck was sore for weeks, haha...Good Memories of those years!!

(07-28-2013 01:09 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  Before BigRed we had a Mr Hilltopper that didn't go over very well and I think Western made the right decision in changing

Yea that was obviously the right move. While I'm at it, what exactly is a Hilltopper? How did that become your schools nickname and what does the waving towels have to do with it?

Western's campus starts at the top of the highest hill in Bowling Green and spreads out in all directions down that hill....Hilltoppers

The red towel is what Coach Diddle carried/used/threw when he was coaching and it became the symbol for WKU ...there are many many articles on this especially in the NY papers in the late 40s, 50s, and 60s. Coach Diddle was one of if not the first coach to use the fast break and with that exciting style of play Western was invite to play in all the NY holiday tourneys.

At the time Mr Diddle retired he was the winningest coach in college basketball and was just as well known for that towel. So it became something the fans used as a "rally towel" and to just short the Western Spirit

Here's google map starting at the Houch (football) and Diddle arena the X in this picture is where you would be and the 1,2,3 are the other pictures



https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=WKU,+...30.77,,0,0

Picture off campus looking up the hill




on campus looking down the hill



on campus looking up another part of the hill

(07-28-2013 08:58 PM)Louisianafanrcajun90 Wrote:  

(07-28-2013 01:09 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  Before BigRed we had a Mr Hilltopper that didn't go over very well and I think Western made the right decision in changing

Yea that was obviously the right move. While I'm at it, what exactly is a Hilltopper? How did that become your schools nickname and what does the waving towels have to do with it?

The official version is not entirely accurate from what i can gather from personal research. The first use of the Hilltoppers name was by the Bowling Green Business University. BGBU was atop College Heights (the name of the hill that campus is now on) long before the Southern Normal School moved. In order to expand the now public school, Dr Cherry moved into the now vacant BGBU Campus. This is where lore starts. Supposedly on the day of the move, students walked to the new campus on the Hilltop.. They carried school equipment to the new location. They then became known as the Hilltoppers.

Today students are still Hilltoppers because all of the parking lots and dorms are at the bottom of the hill, and the classroom building are mainly at the top.

The Red Towel came later. Hall of Fame coach Edgar Allen Diddle was frustrated that students were taking all of the towels from the workout facilities. He had the equipment manager to dye the towels red so that they would be able to spot their towels. This went over well, as the dye would run on the athletes when they took a shower. They were eventually able to find a red dye that was guaranteed to not run or fade.

A very animated coach, Diddle would chew, throw, wave and signal players with his towel (now an iconic red). Soon, fans started to use towels in the stands to cheer on coach Diddle and the Tops. Thus one of the greatest traditions in all of sports began.

(07-28-2013 09:14 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  Western's campus starts at the top of the highest hill in Bowling Green and spreads out in all directions down that hill....Hilltoppers

The red towel is what Coach Diddle carried/used/threw when he was coaching and it became the symbol for WKU ...there are many many articles on this especially in the NY papers in the late 40s, 50s, and 60s. Coach Diddle was one of if not the first coach to use the fast break and with that exciting style of play Western was invite to play in all the NY holiday tourneys.

At the time Mr Diddle retired he was the winningest coach in college basketball and was just as well known for that towel. So it became something the fans used as a "rally towel" and to just short the Western Spirit

Here's google map starting at the Houch (football) and Diddle arena the X in this picture is where you would be and the 1,2,3 are the other pictures



https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=WKU,+...30.77,,0,0

Picture off campus looking up the hill




on campus looking down the hill



on campus looking up another part of the hill

Thanks. I figured it had something to do with the hilly region around the university. Thanks for the info.

as someone who has humped those hills too many times.....those photos don't really capture the actual grade very well.

One of the best mascots in the county hands down!

(07-29-2013 10:45 PM)dahbeed Wrote:  as someone who has humped those hills too many times.....those photos don't really capture the actual grade very well.

Yea you can say that again! My calves were in top shape for three years...Then I get lazy my senior year and rode the shuttle to class....The HILL was a grueling 15 min. walk anywhere you want to class from the dorm rooms on the bottom of the hill....

So what is exactly is Big Red supposed to be?

(07-30-2013 11:57 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  So what is exactly is Big Red supposed to be?

Nothing really. He just represents the Spirit of WKU. I guess we have a lot of spirit, so he is big. Some try to tell you that his head is an abstraction of the Hill, to my knowledge this is completely false.


Can any of you WKU guys remember, didn't Big Red do another sportscenter spot. Seems like I remember one where a bunch of people slip and fall in the hall way. Cannot remember for sure, but seems like there is a 4th one.

(07-30-2013 12:08 PM)TOPPERSonTOP Wrote:  

(07-30-2013 11:57 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  So what is exactly is Big Red supposed to be?

Nothing really. He just represents the Spirit of WKU. I guess we have a lot of spirit, so he is big. Some try to tell you that his head is an abstraction of the Hill, to my knowledge this is completely false.


Can any of you WKU guys remember, didn't Big Red do another sportscenter spot. Seems like I remember one where a bunch of people slip and fall in the hall way. Cannot remember for sure, but seems like there is a 4th one.

Big REd was in the background on a few more commercials ESPN did...

(07-30-2013 12:12 PM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  

(07-30-2013 12:08 PM)TOPPERSonTOP Wrote:  

(07-30-2013 11:57 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  So what is exactly is Big Red supposed to be?

Nothing really. He just represents the Spirit of WKU. I guess we have a lot of spirit, so he is big. Some try to tell you that his head is an abstraction of the Hill, to my knowledge this is completely false.


Can any of you WKU guys remember, didn't Big Red do another sportscenter spot. Seems like I remember one where a bunch of people slip and fall in the hall way. Cannot remember for sure, but seems like there is a 4th one.

Big REd was in the background on a few more commercials ESPN did...

Maybe that's all it was. This was like 10 or more people falling down and stuff, iirc.

I remember the one time that he was on Deal or No Deal.

(07-30-2013 12:17 PM)TOPPERSonTOP Wrote:  

(07-30-2013 12:12 PM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  

(07-30-2013 12:08 PM)TOPPERSonTOP Wrote:  

(07-30-2013 11:57 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  So what is exactly is Big Red supposed to be?

Nothing really. He just represents the Spirit of WKU. I guess we have a lot of spirit, so he is big. Some try to tell you that his head is an abstraction of the Hill, to my knowledge this is completely false.


Can any of you WKU guys remember, didn't Big Red do another sportscenter spot. Seems like I remember one where a bunch of people slip and fall in the hall way. Cannot remember for sure, but seems like there is a 4th one.

Big REd was in the background on a few more commercials ESPN did...

Maybe that's all it was. This was like 10 or more people falling down and stuff, iirc.

I remember the one time that he was on Deal or No Deal.

I remember that. Wasn't a student or somebody from WKU a contestant?

TOPPERSonTOP you are correct on the move up the hill...I have pictures of the move with the student lined up passing things piece by piece. I was planning on doing a history of Mr Diddle and Western over the summer on HH but time got away from me and something always came up. Maybe I can get to it before football season starts. I have well over 1,000 news paper articles on Mr Diddle and some interviews that most of our fans haven't seen. One from his wife that gives a lot of insight on Mr Diddle.

(07-30-2013 06:37 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  TOPPERSonTOP you are correct on the move up the hill...I have pictures of the move with the student lined up passing things piece by piece. I was planning on doing a history of Mr Diddle and Western over the summer on HH but time got away from me and something always came up. Maybe I can get to it before football season starts. I have well over 1,000 news paper articles on Mr Diddle and some interviews that most of our fans haven't seen. One from his wife that gives a lot of insight on Mr Diddle.

So that really did happen? But the name was before that no? There was a social club at the old BGBU that was called the TOPPERS. So I have to believe that the name came from before this time. I just today discovered that BGBU was a part of Southern Normal School, only to be separated in 1906. SNS became WKSNS, College of Commerce became BGBU. They would reunite later on to form WKU. Very peculiar history in deed.

Check your pm's btw.