Experiencing March Madness through the eyes of Rowdy

As we’ve all been realizing, March Madness is a phenomenon that involved not just the Southeast Missouri State players but fans, band, administrators, and cheerleaders.

Even the mascot, Rowdy the Redhawk had to enter the court and compete in a fierce dance battle against the mascot of the Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Izzy the Islander.

“I was just trying to find a rhythm to ‘Everybody Dance Now.’ It was a little challenging with my style of dancing,” Rowdy said. “I was doing one dance move and it went into what people thought was a drop, but I honestly fell and I thought it was over, but I saw a video and I thought I played it off very well.”

Mascots are usually the subject of quick comedic sketches that get passed around on social media, even if they’re really in on the joke. Recently the CBS Sports Instagram page shared a reel of Rowdy shinning the SEMO logo and causally walking down the ramp, until suddenly, the Pittsburgh logo falls out of place, drops to the floor, and breaks in two, right in front of the unsuspecting Redhawk.

“I swear this wasn’t planned,” Rowdy said. “I was just walking and it fell. That was my genuine reaction. I had no clue the camera was there.”

Revealing Rowdy’s true identity would be like unmasking Batman. All that can be told is his first exposure to the Show Me Center came in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament when he played high school basketball for Bell City.

To him, playing on that court was like him living his dream of playing college basketball. Now he is living that dream again through the persona of Rowdy.

“It has taken me to places I didn’t even think I would go,” he said. “I didn’t even know that mascots traveled, but it is unreal. With not really making it to that next level this is the coolest way possible to stay in the loop.”