Goodyear Unveils Tire Statue Of Brutus Buckeye, Tommy Trojan Ahead Of Cotton Bowl

Goodyear this week unveiled life-size statues of the mascots for the schools playing in Friday's Cotton Bowl Classic made "entirely out of tires," according to Joey Morona of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The statues of Ohio State's Brutus Buckeye and USC's Tommy Trojan were "available for photo ops at Cotton Bowl-related events" and will be donated to both schools, where they "will be permanently displayed on their respective campuses." The statues took artist Blake McFarland "over 375 hours and 400 Goodyear tires to create." Each stands "more than six feet tall and weighs between 250-300 pounds" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 12/29). This is the "second year in a row" Goodyear has commissioned artist McFarland, a prospect in the Blue Jays organization, to "make tire-based sculptures of each university’s mascot." Goodyear has "been the title sponsor of the Cotton Bowl for the past four years" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 12/29).