Paydirt Pete a Step Away from Mascot Championship Match

Paydirt Pete, the athletic representative of The University of Texas at El Paso, has made it to the Final Four in the 2010 Capital One All-America Mascot Challenge.

Pete is in a semi-final contest against last year’s mascot winner, the University of Cincinnati Bearcat. This is a double-or-nothing match for Pete, who defeated the Bearcat in the first week of the 12-match season. Winners are based on fan votes.

The winner of the Pete-Bearcat challenge will face either Big Blue lion from Old Dominion University or Puddles the Duck from the University of Oregon. The top mascot will be named during the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1. The winning representative will earn a $15,000 scholarship to support its university’s mascot program.
 

“The support I’ve received throughout this competition has amazed me. I never knew that my antics on the Sun Bowl turf and Don Haskins Center floor and my efforts as UTEP’s goodwill ambassador throughout the community would put me in the Final Four,” Pete said. “It’s an honor to be in the company of these many fine mascots, but it would be a pleasure to win.I appreciate that so many have voted on my behalf and ask them to continue to generate support for my candidacy. Go Miners and go me! Let’s beat that Bearcat!”

Aaron Villalobos, a UTEP Athletics marketing assistant, said Pete’s success can be attributed to the support of El Pasoans and the UTEP fan base who believe that Pete is a good representative.

The mascot, who turned 30 this year, earned 760,694 votes during an undefeated 12-0 run to the playoffs. His numbers earned him a No. 2 seed in the single-elimination quarterfinal match against Joe Vandal from the University of Idaho.

According to a Captial One mascot challenge website, Pete and the other finalists were selected in part because of their originality, interaction with fans, creativity of their signature moves, ability to stir up a crowd and the originality, creativity and professionalism of their costume.

“At this point a national championship is within our grasp and Pete’s relying on our fans,” Villalobos said. “We urge them to stay active and to get their family and friends involved.”

The 16 mascot finalists earned $5,000 for their participation in the 9-year-old contest, sponsored by Capital One, a financial services institution.

Fans can vote through Dec. 13 at www.capitalonebowl.com. Text voting, which was encouraged during the regular season, is no longer accepted.