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Oski: The evolution of a beloved mascot
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William Rockwell (B.S.’48 ME) returned to campus in 1998 to celebrate his 50th class reunion and the ursine mascot he brought to life.
MIKKI FERRILL PHOTO
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by Rachel Shafer
Oski. He cavorts along Memorial Stadium sidelines. He hugs kids on Cal Day. He drinks through a straw in his eyehole, a startling but mesmerizing trick. Berkeley’s lovable bear mascot turns 65 this fall but he’s far from retirement. How did the goofy grin, high-stepping gait and clasped hands become a Cal institution? The story begins with an engineer, of course.
As a student at Long Beach Junior College in 1938, William Rockwell (B.S.’48 ME) was invited to fill the “Ole Olson the Viking” mascot suit for a school parade. Rockwell was shy and quiet, but disguised as a Viking he became an outgoing rabble-rouser of school spirit. Then he transferred to Berkeley.
In the 1930s, the California Golden Bears used live ursine mascots with predictably unpredictable results, and officials welcomed the idea of a human interpretation. In the autumn of 1941, Rockwell donned a homemade bear head, baggy pants, a large letter sweater, oversized shoes and white gloves. In front of thousands of Cal fans, he led cheers, waved to children and flirted with girls. Later, he would walk on the crossbar between goalposts and try to grab the football from referees. So began the signature look, personality and—since Rockwell kept his identity concealed—the secrecy that still surrounds Oski today.
Oski (named after lines from an old Berkeley cheer) became so popular that Rockwell’s studies suffered. After flunking a midterm, he left school and served as a distinguished fighter pilot in World War II. He returned after the war and, as graduation neared, anticipated the need for a mascot management system. Like so many public institutions, Oski required a committee.
The Oski Committee lives on. Its members are undergraduates who choose the person in the bear suit, Oski’s successors and successor committee members. The group is pledged to lifelong secrecy, so its workings are difficult to plumb. But staff member Diane Milano, Cal Spirit adviser and “bear handler,” does share a few details.
“I coordinate all Oski’s appearances and travel,” she explains, referring to the major games and 40 to 50 campus events Oski does each year. “I also oversee the costume. It’s a hot outfit, and I’m always after the student to air it out and spray some Febreze in it.”
After graduating, Rockwell went on to become a design engineer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He died in 2000. Like all great engineering projects, his lives on.
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