Why the fire-breathing horse?
The fire-breathing horse has been a part of the Big Red tradition since 1970. The first horse’s head was built by David E. Hindman and William Davis back in the summer of ’70. Sitting atop the scoreboard at Harding Stadium, trimmed in lights, the stallion would breath fire every time Big Red would score or come onto the field. In 1984 the horse’s head was replaced by the 12 foot rearing horse, which features a strobe eye, hydraulic movement, and of course, the six foot stream of fire. Big Red was refurbished during the construction of the new video replay scoreboard in the summer of 1997, where he stands today. Man O’ War is of course a replica of the fabled racinghorse who lived from March 29th, 1917 until November 1st, 1930.
