Former mascots come together to celebrate 20 years of Sparty

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Sparty is one of the most well-known mascots in collegiate history. The three-time National Mascot of the Year has appeared on ESPN commercials, video game covers and even is a member of the Mascot Hall of Fame.

Quite an accomplished life for a 20-year-old.

About 40 former Spartys gathered Saturday in the Galaxy Room at the Kellogg Center for a brunch reunion to celebrate Sparty’s 20-year anniversary. The current Sparty was on hand and received a birthday wish accompanied by a cake.

Stella Cash, executive director of the MSU Alumni Association, pointed to Sparty’s up-for-anything attitude as a main attribute for Sparty’s legacy.

“Sparty is more than just an athletic icon,” she said. “He’s been in our most personal family events, from weddings to bar mitzvah’s to family reunions. Sparty at Michigan State is very, very important.”

Sparty’s roots

In the spring of 1989, Dave Russell was a student working for the athletics department. During his lunchtime, he played basketball with a member of the committee that was formed to discuss implementing a costumed mascot at the university.

Russell was asked if he was interested, and after he said yes, he flew down to Atlanta to meet with the costume designer.

The mascot was inspired by Hairy Dawg, the University of Georgia’s mascot for the, in the sense that MSU wanted Sparty to become a universal icon, not just a costumed cheerleader.

That fall, Russell rolled onto the field of Spartan Stadium in the back of a convertible as the first Sparty.

“At the time I didn’t really realize that, ‘Hey I’m the first one, this is going to be a big deal,’ but now I realize it’s amazing to be the first one; it’s an honor,” he said.

Like anyone, Sparty’s appearance has changed little by little throughout his first 20 years. But none of the changes, such as a smaller jaw area and sized-down legs, are noticeable from the stands, Russell said.

Sparty’s secrets

The secrecy of who is wearing the costume always has been present, although volunteers can reveal their identity after their duties are complete. There is no two-year or 10-year rule, as some believe.

Concealing the Sparty’s identity helped Russell feel comfortable performing as the character.

“With 70,000 people in the stands, at some point there’s going to be at least 500 people looking at you no matter where you are,” Russell said.

“It’s the best of both worlds because you have all of those people looking at you, but there’s no reason to have inhibitions about it because they don’t know who you are, so you can be free.”

In addition to relaxing the nerves, Jeff Kemperman, Sparty from 2003-05, noted the camaraderie of former Spartys that comes with this secrecy.

“Being Sparty when you’re on the squad is a secret, so a lot of the cool stuff that happens you can’t tell your roommates about, you can’t tell your friends about, so you have this bond, this brotherhood with these other guys,” Kemperman said.

Throughout Sparty’s first 20 years, there only has been one female to land the coveted role: Erin Riley Bormes, who donned the costume from 1997-98.

She was a mascot in high school and visited MSU for a quarterfinal game when her mother challenged her to consider being Sparty. She signed up for a tryout, which includes an application, essays, skits and on-the-spot performances, and made her debut in a football game against Western Michigan University in 1997.

“You transform into a different person when you put that costume on,” she said.

“I had to be very cautious to be very masculine in the costume, and I got in trouble from my family a couple times that I was more girlish than mannish, but we remedied that really quick.”

For the alumni who gathered Saturday, the honor that comes with being Sparty has proved to be a life-changing experience.

“I’ve been a Michigan State fan my entire life,” Kemperman said. “There’s really no bigger honor. It’s really hard to describe what it feels like to have the announcer say, ‘And now the world’s greatest mascot, Sparty,’ and you come chucking out of the tunnel in front of 80,000 people.

“It doesn’t get any better than that. Even talking about it now I kind of get that goose-bump feeling, just that feeling of, only 41 of us have ever experienced that.”

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