At the photo shoot, it quickly became obvious why these guys wanted to be Wisconsin's favorite mascot. The handstands, synchronized jumps and \Warrior 3"" poses were all their ideas. Laughing and cracking jokes the whole time, the impromptu comedy show continued long after the photographer had left.
But when taking them aside for interviews, it was clear that while there is only one Bucky Badger, outside the suit he is seven guys with seven different personalities. Get to know the men behind the mask and catch a glimpse at life as the biggest celebrity on campus.
Jeff Thiel
Sophomore, pre-secondary education major, first-year Bucky
Why he tried out: ""My brother Tim is a Bucky, so without him doing it I don't think I would have worked up the courage to even try out. It makes it a lot easier having someone else that I know on the squad instead of just coming right in and having to meet six guys that I've never talked to.""
Favorite Bucky moment: ""There's been a lot of memorable moments ... my very first time ever being Bucky I tripped over an extension cord and fell flat on my face. I ran into a table at a wedding reception and the table knocked over and I broke glasses ...""
Tom Wilson
Junior, accounting major, first-year Bucky
Why he wanted to be Bucky: ""It's a way to get involved in Division I sports without having Division I talent.""
Favorite Bucky moment: ""My favorite Bucky moment would probably either be running the flag out at the Temple game or the whole Michigan third quarter ... it was just so intense that it was just a really big rush.""
Biggest Bucky myth: ""I heard the other day that somebody thought that Bucky gets a full ride but that is definitely not true, Bucky does not get paid.""
Troy Maragos
Senior, religious studies major, first-year Bucky
Favorite Bucky moment: ""It's all been a favorite moment, it's been so much fun, I'm really privileged to be able to do this. Whether it's a public event or something that's school-related or even a luncheon that you think is going to be boring, it's still a blast because everyone's excited to see Bucky and Bucky's excited to be there representing the university.""
Biggest Bucky myth: ""I heard a myth that the ladies love Bucky, but apparently that is not true. I also heard there's a lot of jersey-chasers, and while we do wear jerseys and shoulder pads, there aren't that many jersey-chasers, so maybe that's one big myth.""
Brian Olsen
Senior, finance and international Business major, second-year Bucky
Favorite sport to be Bucky: ""Hockey, definitely... because every other sport Bucky gets to run around and do whatever but [in hockey] you actually get to strap on the skates and shoot pucks around.""
Biggest Bucky myth: ""Probably one of the big myths is that Bucky just does the sports when really that's just a little bit of what we touch on. Bucky is everywhere from charity events at Children's Hospital and book signings and Booking it with Bucky to wedding receptions ...""
Sky Halverson
Junior, nuclear engineering major, first-year Bucky
Favorite sport to be Bucky: ""Football games are definitely the best because even when you're not in the suit you still get to be on the field and look up and see all the fans ... it's just so cool to look up and see everyone.""
Favorite kind of fan: ""The best people are little kids that love you and alumni that love you. Middle school kids are punks, high school kids are too cool to like mascots, college people are awesome. They're great, but nothing's better than an old alum ...""
Brian Leitzke
Senior, elementary education major, third-year Bucky
Favorite sport to be Bucky: ""Football, basketball and volleyball are just awesome. I love football for obvious reasons, the fans are ridiculous and being in front of 80,000 people. I love basketball for, same thing, the fan environment's great, the Bucky pyramid; and then volleyball you get free reign of the Fieldhouse.""
Bucky's biggest rival: ""It stands straight up for the biggest rival with our school, and that's Goldy... it's not like a hard intense rivalry, we know all the Goldys, we're all really good friends but they're definitely our rivals.""
Tim Thiel
Fifth-year senior, communication arts major, first-year Bucky
Why he wanted to be Bucky: ""I've always had a little crush on Bucky ... being Bucky is one of those far-fetched goals and I've known so many Buckys for the past four years and I knew it was something I was capable of doing, and every year I would kind of get closer and closer to being in this position and now here I am.""
Biggest Bucky myth: ""People think we're crazy all the time, but we're all different outside the suit and contribute more to the university than just being Bucky.""
Being Bucky Badger also means abiding by the three cardinal rules of mascoting: Rule #1: Do not talk in the suit; Rule #2: Do not let anyone see you change; and Rule #3: Always remember you are representing the university, which means no drinking, no fighting with other mascots and always staying in character.
Breaking these rules seems to be a rare occurrence, however, because of the respect these guys have for the university and for each other.
""It's kind of like an honor system here. It's up to each other to regulate what we're doing,"" Jeff Thiel said. ""You lose respect [and] your mascot calling if you [break the rules].""
Some might think that having such a big role on campus would go to their heads. But behind their outgoing personalities, the Buckys are surprisingly modest. Jeff Thiel said he doesn't want people to know it's him when he is in the suit, and Leitzke said he doesn't use his status to get girls.
""As far as the ladies go, I don't know, I don't think Bucky should be quite so public so all the ladies know who Bucky is,"" he said.
After the photo shoot, the Buckys left to practice with the cheerleaders and dance team for the big game against Indiana. They may all be different when not in uniform, but when it comes down to their favorite thing about UW-Madison, they would agree with Tim Thiel that ""it's definitely Bucky Badger.\
