Lil' Red is one of two mascot

Mascot

The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

s at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...

's athletics teams

Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...

. Lil' Red is the newest mascot, having been created for the 1993 season after a state wide contest run for that purpose. Associate athletic director Dr. Barbara Hibner was the driving force in the creation of Lil' Red.

He can be seen on the sidelines of a Nebraska football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 game at Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

Memorial Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team....

, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center

Bob Devaney Sports Center

The Bob Devaney Sports Center is a sports complex on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska that includes a 13,595-seat multi-purpose arena, a 1,000-seat covered 25-yard swimming and diving facility and a 5,000-seat covered track and field facility that features a...

 during basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 games and at volleyball

Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball

Nebraska is home to one of the nation's most storied collegiate women's volleyball programs. The Nebraska women's volleyball team has won three NCAA Women's Volleyball National Championships, in 1995, 2000, and 2006 and has had three NCAA National Runner-Up finishes in 1986, 1989, and 2005 as well...

 games. The mascot is currently produced by Signs and Shapes International, Inc. based in Omaha, Nebraska. The wearer of the costume wears a "PowerBelt," a belt with an air circulation system, which brings in over 100 cubic feet (2.8 m³) of fresh outside air per minute. This is enough fresh air to accommodate roughly 1,000 people. Due to the mascot's incredibly light weight, the larger-than-life mascot can run, dance, crowd surf and shake hands.

Since its installment, Lil' Red has won two major awards. The first was the national championship at the NCAA National Mascot Competition in 1999. The second one was an induction into the 2007 Mascot Hall of Fame

Mascot Hall of Fame

The Mascot Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for United States sports mascots. It was founded by David Raymond, who was the original Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993. It is an online-only hall, with an induction ceremony taking place each year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

, which selected its winners by an online vote.