Sean Stazen shares what happened during his brawl with Rufus
It’s been 15 years since Rufus took his famous shot at Brutus Buckeye in Ohio Stadium. Sean Stazen, the man inside the Brutus suit, is ready to talk.
Fifteen years after Rufus the Bobcat’s infamous attack on Brutus Buckeye, these two rival mascots seem to have settled the score.
Saturday’s game marks the first time that Ohio University and Ohio State — as well as their mascots — are meeting again inside Ohio Stadium since the teams’ last matchup on Sept. 18, 2010. It was during that game that a rogue Rufus took three separate shots on Brutus as the Buckeyes ran onto the field.
The incident fueled a friendly rematch between Brutus and Rufus inside the Horseshoe during the second quarter.
The upbeat chorus of “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” by War played throughout the stadium as Rufus carried a WWE champions belt out into the north end zone, the same spot where Rufus took multiple shots on Brutus more than a decade earlier.
But Brutus appeared close behind, stepping out onto the entrance ramp. He sauntered into the stadium and the two mascots almost got into a cat fight before a referee broke them up.
Brutus and Rufus met in the end zone. Except this time, there were no punches being thrown.
Instead, Brutus and Rufus squared off with a tug of war match. Rufus started the game with a bit of an advantage — given the last fight — and already had a point on the board. But Brutus followed up with a quick tug of the rope and scored a point of his own.
With the score at 1-1, Brutus and Rufus broke the tie with a race across the field. Though Rufus tried to distract Brutus and got an early lead, Brutus quickly caught up. The mascots sprinted to the down the field to the south end zone, but it was no contest.
The victory was all for Brutus.
He hoisted the WWE champions belt into the air to the chorus of “Sweet Victory” by David Glen Eisley and cheers from the Block O student section.
Despite the inter-state rivalry, Brutus and Rufus lifted their hands together in victory as a truce. Together they led the ‘Shoe in Stadium Ohio, uniting both Buckeyes and Bobcats as they shouted “O-H-I-O” in unison.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
