Sebastian the Ibis: Difference between revisions

Sebastian the Ibis
Sebastian the Ibis
University	University of Miami
Conference	ACC
Description	Anthropomorphic American white ibis
Origin of name	San Sebastian Hall
First seen	1957

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Sebastian the Ibis is the official mascot for the University of Miami. He is an anthropomorphized American white ibis with a Miami Hurricanes football jersey, number 0. Sebastian is the first and only Hispanic-American college mascot and identifies as Cuban.^[1]

History

The ibis was chosen as Miami's unofficial mascot by Nathan Duncan in 1926 when the school's yearbook chose its 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]

File:Sebastian the ibis logo.jpg

Sebastian the Ibis

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 Hurricanes football games dressed up in a makeshift 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 current costume dates from 1984.^[2]

The ibis was originally named "Icky", but was then renamed after San Sebastian Hall (where Stormont was a resident), which became a university dormitory in 1939. 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, including their 31-30 victory over #1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, the Ibis was portrayed by Bill Mooney, a senior at the university, from Orangeburg, NY. This second generation Ibis costume was designed and made by UM alumnus and former Disney artist Randy Jack (RJ) Ogren. It was also in the National Championship victory parade riding with Coach Schnellenberger. ^[4]

From 1984 through 1992, Sebastian was portrayed by John Routh, who also portrayed The Miami Maniac at baseball games, and later Billy the Marlin for the Florida Marlins. Routh created what is now Sebastian's signature: the C-A-N-E-S cheer, where Sebastian forms the letters with his body.^[5]

Sebastian was tackled by a group of policemen in 1989 for attempting to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear. At the time he was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer tried to grab the fire extinguisher he was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by the other four officers but released when they realized how ridiculous it looked for them to be arresting a bird.

Sebastian typically leads the University of Miami football team as it enters the field through the smoke.

References

^ "'claro que sí [soy Cubano]'". Official Instagram comment @UM_Sebastian. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "History | University of Miami". Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-12. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Foxsports.com: Florida State & Miami Traditions^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ University records
^ "For the Birds: former Sebastians flock to first-ever mascot reunion". Miami Magazine. Fall 2005. Retrieved October 22, 2010.

External links

Official website

[1] "'claro que sí [soy Cubano]'". Official Instagram comment @UM_Sebastian. Retrieved 15 December 2017.

[history-2] "History | University of Miami". Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-12. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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

[4] University records

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

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@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 | conference_short = ACC
 | description = Anthropomorphic [[American white ibis]]
-| ethnicity = Cuban
+| nationality = Cuban
 | name_origin = San Sebastian Hall

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
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 2025
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