• by Tanya Gazdik , December 27, 2023

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is once again creating mascots out of tires for the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Ohio State University's Brutus Buckeye and the University of Missouri's Truman the Tiger join the lineup of larger-than-life tire sculptures handcrafted annually for the college football bowl game. 

First introduced in 2015, the sculptures are a fan-favorite tradition, says Ryan Waldron, president, North America Consumer for Goodyear.

The sculptures stand between six and seven feet tall and weigh 385 pounds. It took Blake McFarland, Goodyear's commissioned tire artist and former minor league baseball player, 392 hours in 19 days to handcraft the sculptures from more than 280 Goodyear-branded tires and 24,000 hidden staples.

This will be the first time Missouri's Truman the Tiger will be immortalized with a tire art sculpture. Brutus the Buckeye will be featured for a second time, with his first tire art appearance occurring at the 82nd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in 2017.

This year’s game marks No. 9 Missouri’s fourth appearance in the Cotton Bowl Classic and No. 7 Ohio State's third appearance.

The sculptures will serve as the centerpiece for many Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic festivities, including photo opportunities for fans, leading up to the game at 8 p.m. on Dec. 29 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

The sculptures will be donated to their respective schools following the game for display on campus.

Goodyear's involvement in college football bowl games dates back to 1955, when the Goodyear Blimp pioneered aerial coverage over the Rose Bowl.