 At the suggestion of a university alumnus, Michael Massa, Class Of 1982, a University-wide contest to name the bobcat took place in 2006.The unveiling ceremony began with a video of the mascot interacting with the football team and Head Coach Frank Solich culminating with Rufus roaring into Peden Stadium on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.In October 2014, coinciding with a space conference being held on campus, Rufus the Bobcat was the first college mascot’s name to venture into deep outer space aboard an unmanned NASA spacecraft, carrying a CD library of names.