- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,271
- Reaction score
- 59
Indiana University officially revealed the identity behind Hoosier the Bison this week, with Bloomington native Abbey Armstrong introduced as the first student to portray the university’s returning mascot since the 1970s.
Armstrong, a former Bloomington North track and cross country standout, called the opportunity a “dream come true” in an interview posted by IU Athletics following the reveal.
“Being one of the first people to be able to portray the character of Hoosier the Bison was truly a dream come true and such an honor,” Armstrong said.
Indiana brought the bison back after the “Bring Back the Bison Act” was passed by the Indiana University Student Body Congress on Dec. 16, 2024. IU Athletics then moved forward with reintroducing the mascot as a symbol of school spirit, tradition and unity.
The reveal comes after a historic year for IU athletics, highlighted by the Hoosiers’ 16-0 season and the program’s first national football championship.
Armstrong said growing up in Bloomington made the experience even more meaningful.
“Being able to be a part of this large cultural change and cultural shift has just been such a defining experience,” she said.
One of IU’s reveal videos featured Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” and the band even gave its stamp of approval by commenting “Hoo, Hoo, Hoo…” on the Instagram post.
IU senior associate athletic director Jeremy Gray said the mascot initiative has already become a major success, both on and off the field.
“We went 16-0 with it & it made us $400K in one year,” Gray posted on X, later adding that the figure came from “two major sponsorships and 18% of overall merch sales from a title season.
"Hoosier stays."
Gray also noted that the university has more than one student portraying the mascot and that the identities are typically kept secret until after graduation.
With the bison officially back, IU now has a mascot again for the first time in nearly six decades — and Armstrong helped bring it to life.
“It was so fun to be able to collaborate with everyone there and kind of create Hoosier and who he’s become,” she said.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hoosier the Bison student reveals by Indiana University
Continue reading...
Armstrong, a former Bloomington North track and cross country standout, called the opportunity a “dream come true” in an interview posted by IU Athletics following the reveal.
You know Hoosier, meet Abbey.️ pic.twitter.com/l0x51HhjnV
— Indiana Hoosiers (@IUHoosiers) May 15, 2026
“Being one of the first people to be able to portray the character of Hoosier the Bison was truly a dream come true and such an honor,” Armstrong said.
Indiana brought the bison back after the “Bring Back the Bison Act” was passed by the Indiana University Student Body Congress on Dec. 16, 2024. IU Athletics then moved forward with reintroducing the mascot as a symbol of school spirit, tradition and unity.
The reveal comes after a historic year for IU athletics, highlighted by the Hoosiers’ 16-0 season and the program’s first national football championship.
Armstrong said growing up in Bloomington made the experience even more meaningful.
“Being able to be a part of this large cultural change and cultural shift has just been such a defining experience,” she said.
One of IU’s reveal videos featured Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” and the band even gave its stamp of approval by commenting “Hoo, Hoo, Hoo…” on the Instagram post.
IU senior associate athletic director Jeremy Gray said the mascot initiative has already become a major success, both on and off the field.
“We went 16-0 with it & it made us $400K in one year,” Gray posted on X, later adding that the figure came from “two major sponsorships and 18% of overall merch sales from a title season.
"Hoosier stays."
Gray also noted that the university has more than one student portraying the mascot and that the identities are typically kept secret until after graduation.
With the bison officially back, IU now has a mascot again for the first time in nearly six decades — and Armstrong helped bring it to life.
“It was so fun to be able to collaborate with everyone there and kind of create Hoosier and who he’s become,” she said.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hoosier the Bison student reveals by Indiana University
Continue reading...
