From Brutus to biomedical engineer, Emily Hayward graduates OSU after three years as mascot
When Brutus Buckeye, Ohio State University’s mascot, stepped through the football stadium tunnel and came out the other side as biomedical engineering major Emily Hayward, some of the people she had class with the past three years could hardly believe it was her behind Brutus’ giant eyes.
When Hayward first made it through several rounds of the mascot audition process before being selected as the next Brutus as a sophomore, she could hardly believe it either.
“Even when they told me, I was still unsure. When I finally made the team, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Hayward said Friday, May 9. “My close friends knew, and my family, and parts of the athletic circle kind of got the secret too. Graduation was my reveal. People I had classes with for three years didn’t know; they were like, ‘You’re Hannah Montana.’”
Hayward, a 2020 graduate of Mars Area High School, auditioned to be Brutus Buckeye in the spring of her sophomore year, and became the first woman to take on the role at the university since 2002. She continued to play Brutus until she graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering on Sunday, May 4.
Over a three-year period, Hayward played Brutus at countless sporting events, as well as at 310 nonathletic events — she kept track of those. Although being the costumed crusader took up a lot of her time at the university, Hayward said being Brutus taught her almost as many life lessons as she learned in her classes.
“Going into it, I wasn’t the most extroverted person, but now I would put on the suit and it was like an extension of myself,” Hayward said. “A lot of it is emotional intelligence, situational awareness and character. The panel said, ‘You can teach Brutus but you can't teach character.’”
Once Hayward scored the role of Brutus in the spring of her sophomore year, she began training with Ohio State University’s basketball coach to prepare for the physicality and endurance she would need to play the character.
Hayward had played volleyball and a little lacrosse in high school, and did gymnastics as a youth, so taking on the giant buckeye head was a completely new endeavor for her. Thus, the summer before football season was spent training, Hayward said.
“I was worried about pushups, running the flag out, sprints, I worked a lot on that,” Hayward said. “Whenever I made the team, we would have practices, but the coaches made sure you could go out and run it well.”
The challenge of taking on the mascot was offset a bit by the university’s resources and support it gave Hayward to take on the role. Hayward said the mascot was considered a student athlete, so she got all the perks that players of any other sport at the university get, like strength conditioning and training, and even scholarship funds.
Hayward worked alongside the cheerleading team, as well as the “Brutus Brigade,” which was the main unit at sporting events that supported the mascot. The brigade would help Hayward execute Brutus’ signature move, the “Buck Shot,” where the squad throws Brutus high into the air as a stunt.
Although she spent weeks training to be a source of school spirit at sporting events, the first time Hayward donned the mascot head in public was for an appearance at a wedding. This was in the weeks leading up to football season.
Hayward said Ray Sharp, head mascot coach and spirit operations coordinator at Ohio State, told her she had a particular skill at being Brutus in intimate settings. Especially when she interacted with people one-on-one, or in small groups.
That type of personality is what the leaders of spirit operations at the university look for in a mascot.
“Emily was the type of individual who liked to have personal connections with the fans, Emily was seeking the individual who brought their kid for their first game,” Sharp said Thursday, May 15. “That was what she was naturally good at. Her personality is very approachable.”
Brutus also was tapped to do appearances at events, and even for commercials that would air on national television. Hayward said one of the most memorable perks she received for playing Brutus was being flown to Austin, Texas, to do a commercial.
“Flying down to Austin, they paid for my flight, a five-star hotel. You kind of get to be treated like a celebrity, which is weird,” Hayward said. “These commercials pay like you are a celebrity actor. That was an eye-opening experience for me.”
The feedback Hayward received from hospital patients she visited as Brutus are some of her proudest moments as the mascot, she said.
“Hospital visits were the most heartwarming,” Hayward said. “I would hear that someone was really down and they haven’t smiled in a week — Brutus walks into the room and you would never know it. You just see the joy.”
Hayward’s mom, Susan Hayward, said the amount of hype Brutus generated throughout an entire football stadium was shocking, especially knowing it was her daughter doing the stunts.
“She would walk by as Brutus, and people would cry if they got missed,” Susan Hayward said. “It was just eye-opening the impact that that character actually has.”
The video Emily Hayward posted on TikTok and Instagram where she revealed that she was Brutus went viral, racking up 5.7 million views on TikTok as of May 14.
The video was Hayward’s reveal that she was Brutus, but also her farewell to the role. She said that although she won’t be the one being Brutus on the field anymore, the character will maintain a similar personality, so people can still find a friend in Brutus.
“He’s really a happy-go-lucky guy — always going out of his way to be kind to people,” Hayward said.
Sharp said the next Brutus has big shoes to fill.
“Any time we bring individuals on the team, that’s the first thing we tell them — their job is to take the program to another level,” Sharp said. “The beautiful thing about Emily, was she always had the mentality of, ‘What can I do to get better,’ and she did take it to another level.”
While Hayward said being Brutus was one of the best things she has ever done — an endeavor that taught her more about herself than even Brutus — she said she feels OK about leaving the job behind.
“I miss it, but it’s bittersweet. I think it’s time to put a cap on it,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to be any other mascot.”
