Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

             Curtis Jones, a senior at Shawnee State University and former SSU soccer player who dresses up in a chicken suit at SSU games has been called the new spirit of SSU.
             “The suit was a Halloween costume,” Jones said. “The girls soccer team started tournaments and the season opener for basketball was all taking place on the same day so I thought I’d wear the chicken suit.”
             What Jones did not realize was how much attention the suit would get.
             Jones, along with approximately 20-25 other students, tries to attend all SSU games to cheer on the teams and excite the crowd.
             “We decided to get as many people as we could involved, it started out being just the men’s soccer team doing it to support the women’s soccer team,” Jones said.
             Jones explained that even though it started out as just the soccer team, the group has turned to cheer for other SSU sports teams as well.
             Graduation is awaiting Jones in the spring and he hopes that someone will take his place wearing the chicken suit and continuing the spirit of SSU.
             “A lot of students don’t come to the games because of the environment,” Jones said. “But we want to set ourselves above the spirit of SSU and make some noise and get people’s attention. We just need to have fun while supporting the team.”