AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the drive it takes to advance to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Goodyear will unveil life-sized sculptures of the participating teams' mascots created from Goodyear tires. These sculptures embody the dedication to outstanding performance built into each tire and every player and coach on the teams.

Standing over five feet tall and weighing more than 200 pounds each, the tire art features Penn State University's mascot, the Nittany Lion, and the University of Memphis' mascot, Tom, the Tiger. Collectively, the tire-based artwork was constructed from more than 260 Goodyear-branded tires, leverages approximately 450 hidden screws and took 400 hours to complete.

For the fourth consecutive year, Goodyear commissioned the unique talents of artist and former minor league baseball player Blake McFarland to handcraft the tire sculptures. The artwork will serve as the centerpiece for many of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic festivities leading up to the game on Dec. 28, 2019, at AT&T Stadium and will be donated to the schools following the game.

"Goodyear's annual tire art build has quickly become a beloved tradition for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic," said Rick Baker, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic president and CEO. "Our ongoing collaboration with Goodyear continues to enhance the Cotton Bowl Classic experience every year for players and fans alike, and we look forward to creating more memories together."

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic hosts marquee matchups as a member of the "New Year's Six," the top bowl games included in the College Football Playoffs Semifinal rotation. In 2018, Goodyear announced a multiyear agreement to renew its title sponsorship of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, which extends its more than six-decade association with college football dating back to when the Goodyear Blimp first provided aerial coverage at the 1955 Rose Bowl game.

"Goodyear is incredibly proud to be a part of one of college football's most revered bowl games," said Todd Macsuga, Goodyear's general manager of Brand Marketing. "The teams who compete in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic worked hard all season long to reach this point, and these tire sculptures marry the commitment to excellence and performance that the teams exhibit and that we demonstrate in our tires."

Goodyear's history in college football has been marked by one of the most iconic symbols of the game – the Goodyear Blimp. To celebrate its legacy in the sport, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame inducted the Goodyear Blimp as an honorary member of the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this month.

The 2019 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic game kicks off on ESPN on Dec. 28, at 11 a.m. CST.

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 64,000 people and manufactures its products in 47 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

About The Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic was formed in 1937 with the mission of providing the most innovative of all college football bowl games and to be a leader in creating premier college sports experiences for universities, student athletes, sponsors and the community. Since the inaugural game in 1937, the Classic has contributed nearly a billion dollars to participating institutions. Each year, football fans attending the Cotton Bowl Classic generate more than $30 million in direct spending for the North Texas community.

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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company