Louie the Cardinal
Louie the Cardinal is the mascot of the University of Louisville. The Cardinal was chosen as the mascot after 1913, selected because the northern cardinal is the state bird of Kentucky. The school colors of black and red were adopted later.
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Louie appears at university sporting events, notably skydiving into Cardinal Stadium for each home football game and rappelling in from the ceiling of the basketball arena. He also attends other community events during the year. He is considered a part of the "Spirit Groups" and is a member of the Cheerleading team. In 2004, the Cardinal Bird was presented with the National Cheerleaders Association's Most Collegiate Mascot award. On occasion, Louie will travel over to the school marching band's section to conduct the players from the band's podium.
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The Cardinal Bird mascot originated at the request of the marching band. The first student to portray the Bird was Dick Dyson and the paper mache costume was created by students of the Speed School of Engineering. In the 1980’s, the costume was made of long red fake fur with a round belly and large yellow feet. In the late 90’s, the costume head changed to more closely configure with the printed logo, losing the belly to add shoulder pads for a more fit and toned athletic appearance. In its latest entity, Louie was redesigned displaying a noticeably slimmer figure and wider smile in 2016. He also wears a Louisville basketball jersey, which he switches out for a football, baseball or corresponding sport jersey. The redesign was conducted by the athletic department's marketing staff, with the objective of having better line of vision, more flexibility and mobility for the Bird while keeping its iconic look.
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The school colors - cardinal red, black and white - were adopted at the suggestion of Mrs. John L. Patterson. In printing terms, the U of L color for red is PMS 485. All of the University of Louisville's present logos are trademarked.
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If you are interested in scheduling an appearance by Louie, click here to submit a request.
***The Mascot and Spirit Team appearances are subject to blackout dates around sporting events and other time commitments.
