AKRON, Ohio, December 29, 2016 – To honor the hard work, determination and grit that the University of Wisconsin and Western Michigan University exhibited to reach the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today revealed massive sculptures of each team’s mascot – built from more than 500 Goodyear tires.

The sculptures, standing over six feet tall and weighing up to 400 pounds each, were unveiled in Dallas with special guest and Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame member, Keyshawn Johnson. The mascot artwork will be centerpieces at various festivities in Dallas leading up to the game at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 2, and will then be gifted to the schools.

“The hard-fought drive and effort of the Wisconsin and Western Michigan players, coaches and fans to make it to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is something we are proud to recognize through this artwork,” said Seth Klugherz, Goodyear’s director of North America marketing. “Creating these unique sculptures – made entirely of tires – is an authentic extension of Goodyear’s pride for our role in college football, and the perfect way to congratulate these great teams and build excitement for the game.”

Goodyear worked with tire artist Blake McFarland to handcraft the one-of-a-kind sculptures in the likeness of Wisconsin’s mascot, Bucky Badger, and the Western Michigan Bronco, which required 925 feet of tire rubber to build.

“It’s an honor to bring together my two passions, tire art and athletics, to create these sculptures on behalf of an iconic brand like Goodyear for an equally iconic bowl game like the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic,” said McFarland, whose team spent 300 hours building the sculptures in San Jose, Calif.

"Goodyear is deeply invested in college football and in enhancing the bowl game experience for fans, as evidenced by the brand’s out-of-the-box thinking on how to honor the University of Wisconsin and Western Michigan University with tire art that will be a highlight of this week’s celebratory events,” said Michael Konradi, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic chief marketing officer.

Visit www.GoodyearTireArt.com for photos and videos of the creation of tire mascot sculptures and from the unveil event.

The event was part of Goodyear’s college football marketing program celebrating Blimpworthy attributes that embody what it takes to win and succeed – hard work, determination and grit.

The 2017 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic game kicks off Jan. 2 at 12 p.m. CST, with live broadcast coverage provided by ESPN.

By the Numbers – Goodyear Cotton Bowl Tire Art

• 500 total tires
• 800 total pounds of tires
• 925 total feet of tire rubber
• 300 total man hours
• 6.5 ft. – height of each sculpture

About Goodyear

Goodyear, founded in 1898 in Akron, is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs approximately 66,000 people and manufactures its products in 49 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, 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.

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 more than $200 million 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.