Bring Touchdown Home

Inspiring Big Red pride, excellence, and camaraderie, Touchdown the Bear is a powerful icon and symbol for the Cornell community.  See the updates to learn more about the history of Touchdown and to read the letters she has recently written to update us on her life.

As a special gift from alumni and friends, a bronze bear cub statue and a new plaza have been commissioned to rise in 2015, at the corner of Campus Road and Garden Avenue, in front of Teagle Hall.  

This statue—along with the beautiful plaza and landscaping surrounding it—will be a monument and a symbolic home to the real cubs who each served as Cornell’s unofficial mascot early on in the university’s history.  This location will be named the “1915 Plaza” in honor of Cornell’s undefeated football team of that year.  The names of the 1915 team players, coaches and managers will be inscribed around the plaza wall.  See the artist's rendering of the plaza and statue:  http://youtu.be/oabi6aIU3J4

With the new plaza you will have a convenient place to meet your friends before you go to support the Big Red sports teams in Schoellkopf stadium, Teagle Hall  Lynah Rink, Barton, Bartels, Hoy Field and other nearby arenas.  Imagine yourself rubbing the nose of Touchdown for good luck as you leave to cheer on Big Red teams. 

John H. Foote '74 (author of Touchdown, the Story of the Cornell Bear) and Joseph Thanhauser '71 are spearheading the effort. With seed funding provided by Foote, Thanhauser, and Alon Mass ’08, this project needs your help to successfully raise the last $25,000 we need. This funding will cover the cost of the bronze statue, site preparation and landscaping, plus a maintenance endowment.  Several of our initial donations have been provided by first-time-givers to Cornell.  Join them.

Learn more about the live Touchdown:  http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/touchdown

Learn more about this project:  http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2013/01/bear-project-will-commemorate-cornell-unmascot

Learn more about the artist behind the statue:  http://www.sculpturespace.org/caverly/

“Touchdown, the Story of the Cornell Bear” by John Foote ’74 - available in the Cornell bookstore.