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Bob Blog: Mascot Madness
During March Madness, VWU mascot Bob Marlin reflects on his own creation
Bob Blog | March 19, 2019
Holy mackerel! Anyone else as excited as I am about March Madness? What a thrilling time in collegiate athletics. I especially love to see other mascots like myself out there cheering on their teams. I often wonder about their past and how they came to be, and it makes me reflect on my own creation.
You may think I’ve always been this tall drink of water that you see today. But the truth is, there is quite a history behind my fishy physique, and I would feel gill-ty if I didn’t share the details.
It all started back in 1963. Inspired by my legendary fighting fish lineage, the University’s very first Board of Trustees adopted the marlin as VWU’s mascot. It wasn’t until 2003 that the “Bob Marlin” as you know me, with my colorful mischief-making, pompom-swiping persona, was born. You see, I am a student invention, the result of a class project assigned by recreation and leisure studies professor Doug Kennedy. His students came up with my original concept more than 15 years ago, selecting a designer and even raising the funds needed to create me. And by the way, if my name reminds you of a certain reggae icon, it’s no koi-incidence. Dr. Kennedy says that his whole class immediately agreed that I should be named after the perennial student favorite, Bob Marley.
Since then, I have put my best fin forward and really dove headfirst into all things Virginia Wesleyan. I am the No. 1 cheerleader for all Marlin athletics and also serve as an honorary member of each and every one of VWU’s 50+ student clubs and organizations. I also attend groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings, and many off-campus events. It is truly a privilege for me to be a part of these transformative opportunities and important University traditions. I guess you could say I’m hooked on Marlin spirit!
Of course, years of involvement across various channels can take its toll on a fish’s physical appearance. I’ve pulled my fair share of mussels along the way and started to look a little green around the gills. So in 2012, students in Dr. Kennedy’s recreation and leisure studies courses began the process of giving me another makeover. They held focus groups to get a better idea of how the VWU community wanted me to look (“more athletic, more approachable, and tougher than the old Bob,” they said). Students took that feedback and worked with the mascot-design company BAM! to develop a new version of me. They also raised the funds needed to implement my flashy new look.
I am still reeling from the excitement of my redesign reveal in 2014—sends chills down my dorsal fin just thinking about it. I had the oppor-tuna-ty to show off my “new look” and say goodbye to my former self in a special halftime event during a men’s basketball game.
Let me set the scene. It was a frigid, snowy night out there, but things were really heating up inside the Batten Student Center, where Marlin fans were packed in like sardines. At halftime, the crowd bid farewell to the old me, sending me out to sea for retirement. Then they brought the completely redesigned new me onto the court via motorcycle to the tune of some AC/DC. Next, I sent some Wesleyan gear into the stands with a t-shirt launcher and 
even showed off my slick dance moves.
I am pretty sure it was my stellar dance moves that led me to my big break: I was featured in the September 2014 issue of Sports Illustrated! My flashy face was highlighted in an infographic by Mark Bechtel titled “Mascot Math” in which a silly math equation calculated how I went from old to new (Bob Marlin ÷ Jabberjaw + Mickey’s feet + Barry Bonds = New Bob). My mom still keeps a copy hanging on the fish tank.
So as you can see, I am nothing short of a prize-winning catch. I’ve got big muscles, a bright complexion, and a sassy interchangeable wardrobe (a fish needs options, after all). I sincerely “tank” all those who were involved in my creation, and I am living my best life here on campus.
Go Marlins, and best of luck to all of our friends competing in March Madness!