After getting knocked out in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs are heading into the offseason with an eye toward perhaps drastically upgrading their roster. The Spurs will also have to wait and see if Tim Duncan and/or Manu Ginobili whether to return for another season or decide retire after long, illustrious careers. And to top it all off, San Antonio will also have to hire a new person to be their mascot as after more than a decade, Rob Wicall is retiring as the Spurs Coyote.
War. War Never Changes. pic.twitter.com/lZFLAdIweS
— Civil Wario (@hamsandcastle) May 21, 2014
"Of course it's bittersweet, but I am excited to spend game nights with my family, explore some creative projects, and be open to whatever other opportunities present themselves," said Wicall in a release. "Three years ago I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis, and so I am passionate about staying fit and speaking on behalf of arthritis sufferers everywhere."
In retirement, Wicall is planning on working with the Arthritis Foundation as a fundraiser and to help bring awareness to arthritis
As the Spurs Coyote, Wicall was routinely viewed as one of the best mascots in the league. He won Mascot of the Year in 2005 and 2015 and also won Best Video Skit of the Year in 2007, 2010, 2014 and 2015. Wicall talked to ESPN's Zach Lowe about one of these skits which was made especially memorable because he "lost" his eyeballs:
Your fake green eyes fall off sometimes, or turn sideways -- like when that player ran into you and you fell over and popped up with your eyes straight up and down. I assume that's all planned?
Of course. Back when you could make fun of the refs, after a bad call, I'd just take them off, hold them out to the referee like "Do you need these?"
The clip of the player hitting you, and your eyes falling off, went viral.
No one knows this, but I wear an earpiece so my assistant can talk to me. I was around the baseline anyway, and all of a sudden, he told me a ball and a player were coming my way. And that's the bit: I fall, take off the eyes, put them back on all sideways and stumble around.
And then they fell completely to the floor, I think?
I didn't even know that because you can't really feel them. Thank god I had my assistant in my ear saying, "You lost your eyes! Eyes on the floor! Eyes on the floor!"
Wicall's retirement will leave a void on the Spurs, but the Coyote will continue to entertain and delight San Antonians for years to come. However, the next person that dons the Coyote mask will definitely have some big furry shoes to fill.
