The University of Rhode Island has always been known for its fantastic school spirit, and passionate student body. With endless activities, organizations, clubs, and sports, it’s hard to not love our exciting university. At the heart of our adoration for URI is our beloved school mascot, Rhody the Ram. Rhody makes appearances at all school sports competitions, campus events, and any other happenings at our university. Rhody works hard to keep all students enthusiastic, and involved on campus. This March, we celebrate Rhody’s 98th birthday at the university, and all that they do for our students. 

The ram was born as the school mascot on March 8, 1923, about thirty years after the founding of URI. The original mascot name was the Battering Ram, followed by Ramses a few years later. Finally, the name Rhody came about in the 1940s. The first live appearance of the ram was in 1929, and Rhody has been appearing at campus events since. A statue of the ram was built in front of the Memorial Union in 1958, at the 50th anniversary of the university, and has become a symbol of our school pride. Rhody keeps a very busy schedule at URI and continues to spread school spirit today. Here are some of the great things Rhody does in their busy schedule at our university!

Sports

Rhody is the biggest URI sports fan, making appearances at just about every game, meet, or competition our teams have. Keeping the crowd excited, and the players motivated, Rhody plays a key role in sporting events on and off-campus. Rhody even participates in some routines with our amazing cheer team! 

 

Events

Rhody works hard to keep all students included on campus and be the hype man for all things URI. Whether it be attending events for incoming first-year students, participating in events hosted by student organizations, 5k races, or community events, Rhody will be sure to keep the energy high. 

 

 

Here’s Rhody at URI’s career fair in February 2020, making sure everyone brought their best smile for professional photos!

 

 

 

Rhody Today

Just as all students are doing their best to keep each other safe, Rhody has been continuing their duties as mascot virtually. While Rhody usually can be booked to make appearances at private events unaffiliated with the school, to keep social distancing rules, they are now making virtual messages. You can schedule an appearance by Rhody four weeks in advance of an event at this link.

The ram has been the face of our school for almost a century now, and our student body continues to love having Rhody as our mascot. It is clear that Rhody loves our school just as much (if not more) than all of our students, and has brought endless amounts of joy to the URI campus. Thank you for keeping our school spirit high over all the years, and happy 98th birthday, Rhody!

 

Works Cited
The University of Rhode Island Foundation & Alumni Engagement
URI’s Cabinet of Curiosities

 

Hi! My name is Emma, and I am a junior Communications and Writing student from Long Beach Island, New Jersey. I am so excited to be working with Campus Recreation this semester, and writing blogs for InsideRec! Becoming a part of the team has given me the opportunity to grow as a writer, and share my experiences with the URI community. In the summers, I am an ocean lifeguard, so health and fitness have always been a passion of mine. Besides going to class, I work at O’Neil’s Package Store in Narragansett, and I like to spend time with friends and family.