A contest was held to come up with a name, and 600 entries were submitted. The final group of names included Pontius Pilot, Freddie Flyer, Barney Barnstormer and Rudy.
The mascot made his debut at a UD-San Francisco game on Dec. 1, 1980.
His name was announced at a UD-Marquette game on Jan. 24, 1981. The name “Rudy” was selected because it has “UD” in the middle.
Changing up he look
Rudy’s appearance has changed several times over the years.
There was a minor costume change in 1990, but fans, especially students, were growing weary of his outdated appearance. He sometimes was even called Mr. Potato Head by students of other schools.
By 1993, Rudy’s outfit was deteriorating. His head was worn, his pants needed stitching and his shoes were in need of repair.
UD officials had decided that the zany World War II pilot needed an updated look. It took nearly four years for plans to be finalized and the costume to be developed.
The reincarnated Rudy, wearing a blue pilot suit, red satin scarf, black boots and black leather cap and goggles, made his debut at a UD women’s basketball game Nov. 14, 1997.
Credit: Ron Alvey
Credit: Ron Alvey
Climbing out of a box at the first time-out to the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rude demonstrated that he was more mobile than his predecessor. This allowed the mascot to attend more games and events.
More changes took place in the mid-2000s. The mascot upgraded his blue jumpsuit by adding muscles and a bomber jacket. He also started occasionally wearing the basketball team’s jersey.
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