Birth of a blob: 'Big Red' from Cincinnati

No one could work a crowd like Ralph Carey. His appearance would rile the masses into a frenzy. He could make grim situations bright, bringing smiles and laughter to old and young. His presence was requested at weddings, birthdays and bar mitzvahs. The man was a legend.

Yet, despite his popularity, Carey was anonymous. That's because Carey's face was shielded from fame…by fur.

Carey was "Big Red."

In the late 1970s, Western Kentucky University was a rapidly expanding institution, but it lacked a face for the community. A call went out to fill this void. Carey answered.

A product of Princeton High School, Carey was well-versed in the world of mascots. During his high school summers, Carey would don the colorful attire of Hanna-Barbera cartoons and perform at Kings Island.

"I logged hundreds of hours in a costume," Carey says. "I was in theater (in high school), but the real reason I worked at Kings Island was because of a girl – isn't that always the case?"

It was here that Carey learned how to entertain and that an animated spirit is just as important as the features of the outfit. He loved every minute of it.

When he arrived at Western Kentucky for college, sporting mascots were becoming a coast-to-coast craze, thanks to the San Diego Chicken.

"People were drawn to the Chicken's energy," Carey says with a laugh. "Western wanted to try and replicate that magic."

One of these people happened to be WKU basketball coach Gene Keady. Entering his second year at WKU, Keady wanted to build excitement for his fledgling program. Adding a mascot seemed like a logical extension.

"Two of my frat brothers were part of the basketball spirit committee and mentioned the university's mascot problem," Carey remembers. "I told them about my experience at Kings Island and that I had some ideas for the project."

Western Kentucky was interested, and soon Carey was in a meeting with university officials, presenting his concepts.

"To be honest, they weren't very receptive to my models," Carey says. "So I tossed an 'out-there' idea of this creature, an oversized blob of red. I didn't think they'd really buy it."

But buy it they did. So much so that, in September 1979, Carey was given a budget and tasked with building his Big Red creation in time for the beginning of the basketball season.

"Nobody had a clue what it was going to be," Carey says. "I was just hoping it wouldn't be a train wreck."

Carey went to work, sewing red fabric and fur together, crafting the ensemble's interior structure ever so carefully. Along with this stipend, Carey received donations and assistance from Kings Island, as well as an unlikely source.

"(Former Bengal) Bob Johnson had just retired, and was helping out the Ohio State athletic program," Carey says. "When he heard what we were doing, he sent down some supplies to lend a hand."

Truly a passion project, Carey's creation came to life and was ready for the basketball deadline. One problem remained: Who would operate the suit? To Carey, there was a simple solution.

"I figured if I was going to build it, I was going to wear it."

Debuting on Dec. 1, 1979, Big Red sprang out from a box to the Western Kentucky crowd. Leaning on his teachings from the summers at Kings Island, Carey's vivacious waving, sporadic movements and peppy display turned the crowd's curiosity into affection.

It was love at first sight.

"People were screaming like they were at a concert," Carey says. "Children loved it. Parents probably thought all kind of things, but there was an affinity to the goofiness of it all."

Within a year of its introduction, Big Red was bestowed the "Key to the Spirit" award — the highest honor presented to team mascots at the time — at the Universal Cheerleading Association competition in 1980. It would win that designation again in 1981 and 1983. Eventually, Big Red would be seen on ESPN's on-air "This is SportsCenter" campaign.

The popularity he's won has led to Big Red making hundreds of appearances each year. Carey was a one-man band at its inception. Now Big Red's duties are shared by a group of students. The obligation is so great these days that the university awards scholarships to Big Red's operators.

"It has a brand," Carey notes. "Anywhere this character goes, it has an image to maintain. It's the university's icon."

It's a connection Western Kentucky recognizes, erecting a statue to Big Red on campus last spring. Still, the school felt it was time to give Big Red's creator his own chance in the spotlight

This past Saturday, the school honored Carey at its basketball game against Rice University. But instead of standing at half-court and bowing to the crowd, Carey did what felt natural: He assumed the Big Red responsibilities once more.

He never was one for recognition.

"To see the reaction Big Red gets, how it brightens up the people around him, no amount of gratitude can explain that feeling."

Sounds about right. No one knows people better than Big Red.

If you have an idea that fits our historical/retro mold, feel free to send your proposals tojbeall@cincinna.gannett.com.