Sebastian the Ibis

Sebastian the Ibis
Sebastian the Ibis
	Sebastian the Ibis making the University of Miami's "U" sign in 2007
University	University of Miami
Conference	ACC
Description	Anthropomorphic white ibis
Origin of name	San Sebastian Hall
First seen	1957

Sebastian the Ibis is the mascot for the Miami Hurricanes of University of Miami. He is an anthropomorphic white ibis with a Miami Hurricanes football jersey, number 0.^[1]

History

The ibis was chosen as the University of Miami's unofficial mascot by Nathan Duncan in 1926, after the University of Miami student body chose the school's yearbook's name to be The Ibis.^[2]

"Miami adopted a native marsh bird called the Ibis as the official mascot in 1926. The Ibis is known for its bravery as a hurricane approaches. Folklore maintains that other birds look to the Ibis for leadership. The Ibis uses its instinct to detect danger. It is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits, giving warning that danger is imminent. As the storm passes the Ibis is the first to reappear, a sign that clear skies are approaching."^[2]^[3]

The first official mascot for the Miami Hurricanes was a 65-pound brown and white boxer dog named Hurricane I. Chosen in 1950, the canine wore a ceremonial orange and green blanket with his name lettered in white.

Sebastian was created in August 1957 by Norman A. Whitten, Director of the Student Union at UM, and was used as a homecoming competition entry. The next year, student John Stormont performed at Miami Hurricanes football games dressed up in a homemade ibis costume. The original costume was made from various materials: armolite insulation for the head, white terry cloth for the body to resemble feathers, ROTC spats for the feet, and toes made from burlap. "The whole costume took three weeks to complete and cost about $30", Stormont said in a Miami Herald interview. The most recent iteration of the costume dates back to 1984.^[4]

The ibis was originally named "Icky", but was later renamed after San Sebastian Hall, where John Stormont was a resident. The building, now an apartment building, still stands at the intersection of LeJeune Road and University Drive in Coral Gables.

During the first national championship season for the Miami Hurricanes football team, the Ibis was portrayed by Bill Mooney, a senior at the university from Orangeburg, New York. This second generation Ibis costume was designed and made by UM alumnus and former Disney artist Randy Jacky (RJ) Ogren. Sebastian appeared in the 1983 National Championship victory parade riding with then head coach Howard Schnellenberger following the Hurricanes winning the 1983 NCAA national football championship.^[5]

From 1984 to 1992, Sebastian was portrayed by John Routh, who also portrayed the Miami Maniac at University of Miami baseball games, and later portrayed Billy the Marlin for the Florida Marlins. Routh created Sebastian's signature C-A-N-E-S cheer in which Sebastian forms the letters with his body.^[6]

Sebastian typically leads the University of Miami football team onto the field before games. During home games at Hard Rock Stadium, this scene is one of the most notable in all of college football, accompanied by the release of smoke as Sebastian leads the Hurricanes team onto the field at the game's beginning.

The identities of the students who portray Sebastian are not made public until they graduate and their identities are typically a hot topic of discussion amongst both students and faculty; as a University of Miami tradition, these students reveal their roles when they graduate by wearing the mascot's feet to their commencement ceremonies.^[7]^[8]^[9]

Controversies

On October 28, 1989, Sebastian was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear prior to Miami's game against long-standing rival Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Sebastian was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers and detained but ultimately released. Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who started the game in place of injured Craig Erickson, told ESPN, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'"^[10]

References

^ "Sebastian the Ibis". April 8, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "History | [Miami University". Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
^ Foxsports.com: Florida State & Miami Traditions^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Sebastian the Ibis". April 8, 2020.
^ University records
^ "For the Birds: former Sebastians flock to first-ever mascot reunion". Miami Magazine. Fall 2005. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
^ DeLuca, Dan (May 18, 2022). "Surprise! University of Miami grad reveals herself as Sebastian the Ibis mascot — and fans go wild". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
^ Hudak, Jenny (May 15, 2023). "Students graduate with a feathered flair". news.miami.edu. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
^ "Being Sebastian". University of Miami Athletics. April 7, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
^ "The true story of Sebastian the Ibis, a fire extinguisher and a near arrest". October 30, 2019.

External links

Official website

[1] "Sebastian the Ibis". April 8, 2020.

[history-2] "History | [Miami University". Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2009.

[3] Foxsports.com: Florida State & Miami Traditions^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[4] "Sebastian the Ibis". April 8, 2020.

[5] University records

[6] "For the Birds: former Sebastians flock to first-ever mascot reunion". Miami Magazine. Fall 2005. Retrieved October 22, 2010.

[7] DeLuca, Dan (May 18, 2022). "Surprise! University of Miami grad reveals herself as Sebastian the Ibis mascot — and fans go wild". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved June 3, 2024.

[8] Hudak, Jenny (May 15, 2023). "Students graduate with a feathered flair". news.miami.edu. Retrieved June 3, 2024.

[9] "Being Sebastian". University of Miami Athletics. April 7, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2024.

[10] "The true story of Sebastian the Ibis, a fire extinguisher and a near arrest". October 30, 2019.

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v t e Miami Hurricanes football
Venues	Miami Orange Bowl (1937–2007) Hard Rock Stadium (2008–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Florida Cup Florida Florida State Louisville Nebraska Virginia Tech
Culture and lore	1998 UCLA game 2011 athletics scandal Band of the Hour Catholics vs. Convicts FIU–Miami brawl Hail Flutie Miami 4–3 defense Quarterback U Sebastian the Ibis Whammy in Miami Wide Right I Wide Right II Confusion Bowl 2023 Georgia Tech game
Documentaries	Catholics vs. Convicts The U
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Early years (1926 to 1978)	Miami Hurricanes football (1926 to 1978)
Seasons	1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Miami Hurricanes men's basketball
Venues	Miami Beach Auditorium (1960s–1970s) Knight Center (1985–1988) Miami Arena (1988–2002) Watsco Center (2003–present)
Culture & lore	Sebastian the Ibis 2011 athletics scandal 2017–18 corruption scandal
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Miami Hurricanes women's basketball
Venues	Miami Beach Auditorium (1972–1985) Knight Center (1985–1988) Miami Arena (1988–2002) Watsco Center (2003–present)
Culture & lore	Sebastian the Ibis
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

History

Controversies

See also

References

External links