So I’m behind on the blog, but that’s nothing new. I am getting to be quite the busy bulldog these days so a late blog is unfortunately becoming the norm.
How about that Bulldog Beauty Contest?! 2009 was undoubtedly our best contest to date as we had a record 87 dogs pre-register and 93 dogs participate (believe it or not, we finished in one hour!).
A hearty congratulations goes out to this year’s category winners, including our overall winner and “Best in Show” for the second consecutive year, Mr. Hugo Casey, owned by Butler alumna, Kearsten Casey of South Bend, Ind.
Hugo earned the honor of “Best Butler Spirit” by wearing a No. 54 Matt Howard basketball jersey, wristbands, Dawg Pound cap, basketball necklace/medallion, etc. in order to advance to the final round and win his second “Best in Show” title. He was handsomely rewarded for his efforts with a year’s supply of Holistic Select dog food courtesy of Eagle Pack Pet Food, WellPet and our good friends at City Dogs Grocery. That’s more than a $600 value for Hugo!
Not only that, but later on in the day, Hugo caught up with his likeness, Mr. Matt Howard himself and the pair got their picture together. All I can say is the resemblance is uncanny…brothers from different mothers.
In addition to Hugo, here are a few more of my favorite contestants from this year's competition:
For more contest pictures, please visit this nice photo album put together by our good friend Rick Miller of New Palestine, Ind.: http://www.flickr.com/photos/20471995@N08/sets/72157622517775354/I’ve got to offer up my sincere appreciation to our expert panel of judges which grew to seven members strong this year to accommodate for our two celebrities, Paul Poteet and Tom Davis of WRTV-6, Indianapolis’ local ABC-TV affiliate. Paul and Tom had a good time at the event, shot some footage and even had a couple of contestants in the studio on Monday morning, Oct. 5th, to recap the event.
Joining Paul and Tom at the judges table was Kim Netherland of City Dogs Grocery, Dr. AJ Stump and Kathy Dearing of the Ovid Butler Society Executive Committee, Thom Burleson of the Alumni Board, and Jonathan Spear of the Butler University Student Foundation.
Backing them up was a great group of volunteers made up of my colleagues and Butler staff, and of course, a record crowd that filled all five sets of bleachers and more.
Finally, a BIG thanks goes to our sponsors that made this event possible…City Dogs Grocery, WellPet, Eagle Pack Pet Food, the Ovid Butler Society Executive Committee, Woodland Animal Hospital, VCA Animal Hospitals, Susan Smith, Dr. Kurt and Julia Phillips, and Dr. Deborah Rowley. They deserve all of the credit! Thank you!
Also, Butler student Alyson Ahrns put togther a nice video recap of the event for the Butler Beat that you can watch right here:
While Homecoming weekend is always a great time to reunite with friends, family and your alma mater, it has also served as a quasi kick-off to a wonderful fall season on campus. In case you didn’t know, it’s a great time to be a Butler Bulldog…and I’m not just talking about the cooler weather.
The men’s football team is the only undefeated NCAA Division I football team left in the state of Indiana with a 5-0 record; most recently winning in dramatic fashion at Homecoming with a last second field goal over San Diego. Combine that with the fact that men’s soccer is 8-1-1 and ranked no. 18 in the latest Soccer America poll, our men’s cross country program is ranked No. 20 in the nation and basketball practice starts TODAY and I’m more than excited about being THE Butler Bulldog.
Of course, with all of that means that my social calendar is filling up for the fall…between athletic contests, student events, alumni events, school visits, photo shoots and whatever else people can think up, I’m booked solid. It’s a tough life, but somebody’s gotta do it.
I’ll just try and be better about updating you with my engagements and events as they happen, as opposed to waiting weeks in between blog posts. Of course, you can always keep closer tabs on me through my Twitter feed (www.Twitter.com/ButlerBlue2), which is updated much more frequently and features exclusive photos.
On the docket is a full-plate Saturday for this ol’ pooch. We’ll get started bright, early and bushy-tailed at Hinkle Fieldhouse to welcome a very select few guests who signed up early to witness one of the first practices for the top-15 ranked men’s basketball team. Then after practice head coach Brad Stevens will address the group and share his outlook on the season and our incredibly tough schedule. This event is being put on by the Central Indiana Alumni Chapter is our own version of “Midnight Madness,” only much more subdued and with less fanfare…The Butler Way.
After that I’ll head outside to hit up the tailgating festivities in preparation for the men’s football game at 1 p.m. versus Valparaiso. I planning on cruising by the Butler Football Class of 1959 tailgate and the Butler faculty and staff tailgate, but I’m open to hanging out with anyone who is out there filling the crisp fall air with warm Butler spirit. And maybe while my dad isn’t looking you could slip me a little something from the food table! Shhh, it will be our secret.
And hey, in case you missed it, you'll probably get to see me on TV a bit more often this winter as our athletic department has struck a new TV deal with Indy's local MyINDY-TV, Channel 23, which will broadcast 13 LIVE game telecasts from historic Hinkle Fieldhouse as well as on the road! Combine that with the eight games scheduled for ESPN, the one on BTN, the other on FSN and we have a chance to have 26 of our 28 regular season games played on TV! You could be seeing a lot of me in your living room this winter!
Alright, that should be plenty of Butler Blue II scoop for now, but before I sign off, I did want to let you know that progress continues to be made on my 2010 calendar. So hopefully we can get it sent to print and on the Butler bookstore shelves in time for the holiday season!
Woof!
Blue II
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