January 27, 2020 |
Goodyear Unveils Life-sized Mascot Tyre Art
AKRON, Ohio, USA– To celebrate the drive it took to advance to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Goodyear unveiled life-sized sculptures of the participating teams’ mascots created from Goodyear tyres. These sculptures embodied the dedication to outstanding performance built into each tyre and every player and coach on the teams.
Standing over five feet tall and weighing more than 200 pounds each, the tyre art featured Penn State University’s mascot, the Nittany Lion, and the University of Memphis’ mascot, Tom, the Tiger. Collectively, the tyre-based artwork was constructed from more than 260 Goodyear-branded tyres that were joined together with approximately 450 hidden screws and took 400 hours to complete.
For the fourth consecutive year, Goodyear commissioned the unique talents of artist, and former minor league baseball player, Blake McFarland to handcraft the tyre sculptures. The artwork served as the centrepiece for many of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic festivities leading up to the game on Dec. 28, 2019, at the AT&T Stadium and was then donated to the schools following the game.
“Goodyear’s annual tyre art build has quickly become a beloved tradition for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic,” said Rick Baker, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic president and CEO. “Our ongoing collaboration with Goodyear continues to enhance the Cotton Bowl Classic experience every year for players and fans alike, and we look forward to creating more memories together.”
The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic hosts marquee matchups as a member of the “New Year’s Six,” the top bowl games included in the College Football Playoffs Semi-final rotation. In 2018, Goodyear announced a multiyear agreement to renew its title sponsorship of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, which extends its more than six-decade association with college football dating back to when the Goodyear Blimp first provided aerial coverage at the 1955 Rose Bowl game.
“Goodyear is incredibly proud to be a part of one of college football’s most revered bowl games,” said Todd Macsuga, Goodyear’s general manager of Brand Marketing. “The teams who compete in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic worked hard all season long to reach this point, and these tyre sculptures marry the commitment to excellence and performance that the teams exhibit and that we demonstrate in our tyres.”
Goodyear’s history in college football has been marked by one of the most iconic symbols of the game – the Goodyear Blimp. To celebrate its legacy in the sport, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame inducted the Goodyear Blimp as an honorary member of the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this month.
The 2019 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic game was won by Penn State, in an incredibly high scoring game, when they beat Memphis, 53-39.
Source: Goodyear
