Brutus Buckeye, the mascot we all know and love, turns 50 Friday. Ohio State is commemorating the occasion with a hulking seven-foot bronze statue that's to debut in the Schottenstein Center after a dedication ceremony on Nov. 10.
The university commissioned Zanesville bronze sculptor Alan Cottrill of Coopermill Bronze Works. If the name doesn't sound familiar to you, his work will.
Cottrill won a national competition for the rights to sculpt the track stadium's Jesse Owens statue. When Ohio State tasked a committee to find an artist to sculpt a Woody Hayes statue, committee member Archie Griffin knew whom to call.
Cottrill's eight-foot bronze Woody Hayes masterpiece now eternally guards the athletics facility that bears the legendary coach's name. Quite the honor for a local artist who grew up dreaming of playing under the man he still refers to as "Coach Hayes."
In an email to Eleven Warriors, Cottrill said there's "been talk" of him doing three additional Brutus statues in the "H," "I," and "O" formations that the university could place around campus for photo opportunities.
The latest statue won't be officially completed at Coopermill until Sunday, but Cottrill was kind enough to share a picture of his latest work with us:
How much would something like this run? Well, according to his website a life-sized statue can run up to $75,000.
