Era 1: Rocky the Rock (1978-2000)
“Please say hello to him for me. I miss him quite a bit, but I’m glad he’s there; and glad he’s on display, and he’s where he’s supposed to be.”
-Bob Jones
Rocky the Rock (created and portrayed by Bob Jones, class of ‘83) was a gray anthropomorphic rock that served as the first mascot of Slippery Rock State College. He wore green and white shoes, green and white mittens, a green “The Rock” shirt, and a green Slippery Rock beanie with a white pom-pom on top. He had large, cartoon eyes made of mesh. The shape of Rocky was created by duct-taping a pillow to football padding and the head was formed using an old football helmet strapped at the chin. Originally, the hat was attached by a fishing line.
“…Rocky is emblematic of all the things that make Slippery Rock unique.”
-Madison V. King, The Online Rocket
Rocky the Rock came to Slippery Rock State College as one student’s idea. SRSC started their football season in the fall of 1978, and numerous students were in attendance, ready to participate in the college football tradition. One student in particular attended the game and noticed something was sorely missing: Slippery Rock had no mascot. Bob Jones grew up in State College; he was familiar with the culture surrounding the Penn State Football team and their mascot, the Nittany Lion. He viewed the lack of a mascot at Slippery Rock as a gap in campus culture. Later, while at dinner with his dad, Jones mentioned his disappointment in the lack of a mascot, and his dad suggested that he make his own mascot. At that dinner, Jones sketched his idea for a mascot on a napkin and took it to his mother to bring it to life. Two weeks after the first football game, the first iteration of Rocky the Rock was completed. Rocky the Rock debuted at an away game against California State College on September 16th, 1978. The mascot was a huge success, largely due to the life that Jones brought to the character. He was always moving while Rocky and was known for cheering with the cheerleaders and “stealing” opposing teams’ cheerleaders. Rocky was even featured as The Wizard in the Marching Pride’s 1980 show: The Wizard of Oz. Bob Jones finally revealed his identity as Rocky the Rock at the last home football game against Millersville on November 6th, 1982, and again at the last home basketball game on February 23rd, 1983. When he graduated, Jones took the costume with him but allowed SRSC to use the design to make other mascots. From 1983 to 1985, two students, Jeanne Boone and Dave Eubank, portrayed Rocky the Rock, and from there, a rotation of students portrayed the mascot. However, partially due to the questionable quality of the costumes, students began to hate Rocky the Rock in the late 1990s, with one Rocket article describing him as “…that hideous thing we call Rocky.” Rocky the Rock was retired in 2000 with the introduction of the first Rocky the Lion, and the mascot was relegated to Slippery Rock history until he returned in the 2010s. Bob Jones donated the original Rocky costume to the SRU Archives on January 26th, 2016. In 2022, Rocky would have another heyday as a homecoming celebration. From October 14-16, 2022, SRU celebrated their homecoming with a fundraising incentive: if the community could raise $22,000, Rocky would return to campus. The Slippery Rock University community raised the money, and Rocky the Rock returned as the SRU mascot for one weekend. Today, people can see the original Rocky the Rock costume in the SRU Archives.
*VIDEOS*