Mascot Tire Art Unveiled for 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

During the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will unveil life-sized sculptures of the participating teams’ mascots created from Goodyear tires.

Standing over five feet tall and weighing more than 200 pounds each, the tire art features Penn State University’s mascot, the Nittany Lion, and the University of Memphis’ mascot, Tom the Tiger. Collectively, the tire-based artwork was constructed from more than 260 Goodyear-branded tires, leverages approximately 450 hidden screws and took 400 hours to complete.

For the fourth consecutive year, Goodyear commissioned the talents of artist and former minor league baseball player Blake McFarland to handcraft the tire sculptures. The artwork will serve as the centerpiece for many of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic festivities leading up to the game on Dec. 28 and will be donated to the schools following the game.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."