NAME: Bill Carney
HOW LONG? 4 years in March.
HISTORY OF MASCOTTING: This is it, and this is where I am going to stay. I can't imagine cheering for another organization.
HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN MASCOTTING: I was doing the Easter Bunny for our volunteer program at work. Each year, I would take the costume to my family's Easter party before turning the suit in. My brother-in-law became the Sports Marketing director at UNLV and was pioneering a program to get Hey Reb into the community. The rest, as it is said, is history.
This year, I went to a cheer camp - and have learned how to raise the bar. This is the first year I really count as mascotting. Before this year, I was just being a friendly guy who dressed weird.
YOUR INSPIRATION? Big Al from Alabama, Cosmo from BYU, and Scott Hesington's tales from his Boss Hog days. Each one of them has taken their mascot to a higher level. I am building Hey Reb's image and I am encouraged by their stories and by their examples.
FAVORITE MEMORY AS A MASCOT: Two equally as favorable (hey, I'm a rebel, I can have two). My first was the 1998 WAC basketball tournament and subsequent NCAA tournament. My first taste of the big time (and the closest I came to death when the crowd rushed the court).
The second was the very first Mountain West football game. They flew-in each of the mascots from the respective schools and set them loose at CSU vs. BYU. It was blast!
WORST EXPERIENCE: In the early years, we would send Hey Reb to these hometown Nascar races. I would be out in the sun for 4 to 5 hours, with people (usually drunk) who could care less about UNLV. We learned a lot of lessons about sending Hey Reb into the community, as did I about dealing with the rough 'fans'.
FAVORITE SKIT: An oldie but a goodie that never fails. The ol' Globetrotter confetti "water bucket" trick. Simple, easy and a good ice-breaker with other mascots. My only failure with it was once I threw the bucket into the wind. I was combing the confetti from my mustache for weeks.
WHAT'S YOUR TRADEMARK?? I have a large flag that I run with at the athletic events. During football - I launch smoke from the top as run across the field (panting very hard at the end). We have one of the best opening shows around. We are Las
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