Finally, after being sidelined several weeks following a gruesome t-shirt cannon accident, SEMO’s beloved mascot Rowdy the Redhawk made his much anticipated return last weekend. Following extensive reconstructive surgery and exhaustive rehab, Rowdy revealed his brand new look to fans during halftime of the SEMO men’s basketball game vs. Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
Before sprinting out to midcourt, a video was shown on the Show Me Center videoboard, documenting Rowdy’s long journey to recovery. Rowdy returned to the court to raucous applause, with his Bleacher Reacher Pro T-Shirt Cannon in hand, pumping up the crowd and shooting t-shirts into the stands. After his reveal, Rowdy greeted fans on the concourse during the second half, passing out autographed posters and taking photos.
The complete story of Rowdy’s injury and recovery can be viewed online on the Redhawks official YouTube channel at youtube.com/GoSoutheastRedhawks in “A Rowdy Christmas Story Saga” playlist. The “Rowdy Returns” video ranks as one of the most-watched videos ever published by SEMO Athletics on Facebook.
Fans young and old loved Rowdy’s new look, with fans saying that Rowdy “finally looks like a Redhawk” and he “looks exactly as they imagined him.” Younger kids enjoyed Rowdy’s fierce new look, comparing him to a super hero.
Ultimately, Rowdy’s inspirational return helped motivate both the Redhawks women’s and men’s basketball teams to victory over Eastern Illinois last Saturday, and women’s basketball sophomore Tesia Thompson was named OVC Player of the Week.
Follow the Redhawks on Twitter at @GoSoutheast.
