From tryouts and training to the big reveal and fortieth anniversary reunion, Butch T. Cougar alumni look back on key moments during their mascot careers.
Tryouts and training
“I didn’t really have to try out other than what I had to do to get on Rally Squad”—which was name all of the mascots of the Pac-10 schools and perform an impression of his favorite cartoon character: Elmer J. Fudd. “And I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, literally and figuratively.”
— Darrell Turner, Butch from 1981 to 1982
“It’s a completely different program now. It’s much more involved than it was back then. It takes a lot more these days to be Butch.” In his day, “you learned a lot through supporting whoever was Butch that season. I think everybody does the ‘Go Cougs’ mannerisms in a similar way, and that was just the way you learned it. But you did have the freedom to bring your own personality to it as well, and that makes it fun.”
— Don Atkins, Butch from 1985 to 1987
“I knew how to be a mascot. I had already been a mascot. But it still took a lot of practice in the suit, a lot of practice being able to see because the sightlines [of the Butch mask] were different. And, you’ve got to understand where your tail is at all times.”
— Josh Diamond, Butch from 2008 to 2011
Keeping the secret
“I was president of my sorority. My house did not know I was Butch. I was always gone for games. But I told them I worked for the athletic department and did behind-the-scenes things and helped set everything up. In the stands, I could go sit on their laps and mess up their hair, and they had no idea it was me.”
—Tami (Turek) Zapata, Butch from 1989 to 1991
“My roommates knew it was me. I couldn’t hide it from my roommates. (But keeping the identity of the mascot a secret) is a really cool tradition at Washington State. It made the character that much more of an icon. I remember hearing athletes and students pledging they were going to find out by the end of the year who it was. A lot of times I just told people I had a part-time job in the athletics department.”
— Dave Stogdill, Butch from 1996 to 1998
“(You have to learn) not to turn around when you hear your name—and Zach is a pretty common name. It was really tough to hear the name Zach and not turn around.”
— Zach Wurtz, Butch from 2003 to 2006
“It was like passively lying. Quite a few of my friends caught on. I did it for four years. They’re not dumb. Most people understand the culture around it to not press the issue.”
— Bryan Clark, Butch from 2010 to 2014
Inside the suit
“Usually, they would only clean the suit once a season. You kind of got used to it. Once you put it on, you sort of forgot about it. But it didn’t smell great inside. At football games, wind would come in through the mouth (of the mask) and kind of circulate through the suit and air things out. At basketball games, I would lose several pounds of water weight just from sweating. I would drink so much water during breaks just to offset the sweating and to make sure I didn’t cramp up.”
— Darrell Turner, Butch from 1981 to 1982
“I was at a basketball game, and I went up to a group of kids, and the kids got really excited. I started dancing with some of the kids, and I didn’t realize how warm it was in the suit. After doing that, I had to go to one of my support guys, ‘You gotta help me. I think I might pass out.’ You have to learn how to balance those kind of things and not over-exert yourself. You know you’ve made the transition when you get close to passing out in the Butch uniform. You have to take lots of breaks, drink lots of water, hydrate, things like that. There was a learning curve.” But, eventually, being Butch become second nature. “You’d sometimes forget that you’re wearing the suit. It becomes part of you.”
— Don Atkins, Butch from 1985 to 1987
“What I suggest for the guys is to make yourself as hot as possible. Wear sweatpants and sweatshirts on runs so you get used to how hot you’ll be moving around in the suit. Training is critical. Butch runs around a lot. Butch jumps around a lot. You need good cardio for that. Getting acclimated to that kind of stress on your body was the biggest training thing we did.”
— Bryan Clark, Butch from 2010 to 2014
On tail-pulling
“Let’s say a kid pulls your tail. I’d slowly turn around, and I’d take my tail and point my finger at them and shake my head ‘no.’ And then I’d pet my tail and shake my head yes and show them that was OK. I’d communicate it all through motion. Butch is a friendly cougar, always shaking hands and posing for pictures.”
—Tami (Turek) Zapata, Butch from 1989 to 1991
“A trick would be to pull out the back of their shirt and start tugging on it. Then they realize, ‘Oh, that’s what I was doing to you, and it’s annoying,’ and they would figure it out and stop.”
— Dave Stogdill, Butch from 1996 to 1998
On turning kids’ frowns upside down
“A lot of times, I’d put my hands over my mouth and back up slowly then hold out my hand and see if they’d take it.”
—Tami (Turek) Zapata, Butch from 1989 to 1991
“I would always use physical comedy. I call it the ‘Santa Claus effect.’ They like you from far away, but when you get up close they start crying. If you’re bigger than them and you’re looming over them, you’re always going to be scary. The first step is to get down on their level so you can see eye to eye. The second step is to go into a physical comedy routine. I’d run into the wall and fall over or grab someone’s hat and do the Benny and Joon routine where he kicks the hat and pretends he can’t get it. Hopefully, by the end, you get him or her laughing to where they’ll give you a high-five or pose in a picture. That’s the way I tried to approach it, just like the Maya Angelou quote: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ If the character can make that little boy or girl happy, they’re going to remember that.”
— Dave Stogdill, Butch from 1996 to 1998
The walk
“This isn’t where it came from, but it’s kind of like that; it’s kind of like John Travolta in Grease. Butch has that same attitude. He’s going somewhere with purpose. (Danny Zuko, Travolta’s character in the movie) didn’t walk around casually. He has a purpose to everything he does. If Butch is going across the room, he’s going with authority. He’s got this attitude of ‘I’m the man. I’m the big cat. This is my space. I’m glad you’re all here, but this is my space.’ It’s Butch’s stadium. It’s his field. That’s the way he looks at it. He’s not mean. He’s just alpha. He’s kind of a badass. I would say his attitude still lives today. Butch is Butch. Everybody that has brought that fur to life seems to have the same kind of approach to this creature who roams our fields and stadiums. It’s pretty cool.”
— Dean N. Grevé, Butch from 1979 to 1981
“You kind of just trotted along like you owned the place. And you did. You didn’t walk like you would walk to class. You sort of had this little giddy-up in your step. No one told you how to walk or what to do. You just kind of knew that Butch was this cool cat and thought about some of the cartoon characters you watched as a kid, like Bugs Bunny and The Pink Panther, and tried to kind of encompass some of their movements. You had to be expressive. Today, it looks like every moment is choreographed and planned. But back then, it was basically just put on the suit and go.”
— Darrell Turner, Butch from 1981 to 1982
“Butch has a specific walk that he does. And you’ve got to practice, practice, practice to get it down. If you don’t, people will notice.” Similarly, “there’s a specific way to do ‘Go Cougs.’ You have to make sure you get it down.”
— Josh Diamond, Butch from 2008 to 2011
The Rose Bowl
“It was a Cinderella story from the get-go. Every single game was kind of like a Cardiac Cats-type scenario,” like the 2003 Carolina Panthers, known for close games that were often decided in the final minutes of play. “It felt like we were always on the verge. Ryan Leaf was our quarterback. Michael Black was our running back. We had a great defensive line. That team was solid. It was such an amazing experience, something that I’ve captured in my scrapbook. It was our third time to the Rose Bowl”—1998, in addition to 1916 and 1931. “It was an honor to be one of the few characters to perform there. I walked on my hands to the center of the endzone and sprinted up centerfield and did a backflip. I tried to steal my 15 seconds of fame right there. Even though it wasn’t allowed to go on the field, I ran out and did it anyway. It was extremely hot that particular day, and I worked my tail off at that game. I remember being so hot that I almost threw up. I ran into the tunnel and pulled the Butch costume up over my head so I wouldn’t throw up in the costume. I was dry-heaving. People don’t realize the amount of physical activity it takes to be Butch. You really have to be in shape. You prepare like any other athlete. You would try to drink a gallon of water the day before and the day of the event. For the most part, you were like any other athlete” except, he says, “I guarantee you we sweat more than a lot of athletes on the field.”
— Dave Stogdill, Butch from 1996 to 1998
The reveal
“It was surreal. For the first time, something is about you and not Butch. But you don’t have the kind of emotional bandwidth to appropriately handle it at the time. You don’t have the emotional energy for it. You’re done now. You’re physically tired. At the last minute, you’re kind of bombarded. I just remember how emotionally drained I was.”
— Zach Wurtz, Butch from 2003 to 2006
“It’s a weird feeling. It’s something you’re excited for, but never want to happen because once you take the head off you are done being Butch. That chapter is 100 percent closed. You will never put on the fur again. You go into a bit of mourning as you’re saying goodbye to Butch. The fans see you take your head off. You’re holding your head in your hands—the Butch head —and this is the first time the crowd sees you.”
— Max Baer, Butch from 2012 to 2015
The reunion
Butch alumni celebrated the mascot’s 40th birthday during a first-time anniversary event on ESPN College GameDay at WSU on October 20, 2018. Butch alumni signed autographs during pre-game festivities and were recognized on the field.
“It was so cool. The thrill of rushing back out onto the field and leading another round of ‘Go Cougs’ was special beyond words.”
— Dave Stogdill, Butch from 1996 to 1998
“I miss being able to get into a different character that nobody knew but everybody loved. If Butch walked down the mall, he was everybody’s homie. Butch could go anywhere and do anything. That part I miss a lot. I didn’t realize how much I missed leading a crowd until I went back for the reunion a couple of years ago. We did a ‘Go Cougs’ and it hit me. It felt really good to do that again.”
— Zach Wurtz, Butch from 2003 to 2006
“It all felt like a dream as we lined up in the tunnel before being recognized on the field during the second quarter. It one of the best moments of my life.”
— Max Baer, Butch from 2012 to 2015
The future
“Back in the day, you never thought about the future. You never thought about what Butch would be like in 40 or 50 years. You were just in the moment. It’s cool to see how far this character, this creation, has come. It’s really impressive. It would be cool to have a Butch museum or hall of fame. I don’t have anything from being Butch other than a jersey. But I still watch every Coug game I can, and I loved going back to that reunion.”
— Dean N. Grevé, Butch from 1979 to 1981
“One of my favorite parts about being Butch was trying to make it better. I love seeing how the character has slightly changed. I do always want people to be building onto what I did. I think one of the coolest parts of the Butch experience was seeing the character continually toil upwards. Seeing someone else take it to the next level is really, really nice. To see someone build on your success for even more success—that’s probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever seen.”
— Max Baer, Butch from 2012 to 2015
Another fun fact
Tami (Turek) Zapata wasn’t the only woman to play Butch. In the earliest days of the costumed mascot, Peggy Robison, a member of the Rally Squad, donned the suit. Read more about her in the 1980 Chinook.
More Butch
Butch’s story in “Cougar Confidential”
Gallery: The antics of Butch T. Cougar
Behind the mask: Profiles of Cougs who were Butch T. Cougar