With Carleton’s varsity football program set for a return to action in 2013, Ravens fans will finally have a chance to experience Canadian Interuniversity Sport football once again.
The news also signals the revival of one of the most colourful sporting rivalries in the region — the one that exists between Carleton and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
The Panda Game, as it’s known, has a well-documented history. The annual game has seen everything from crushing victories and nail-biting finishes, to tragedy and tribulation — all of which revolve around a tiny stuffed bear.
But it appears this tiny stuffed bear is missing, according to Rob Hyrkiel, an intern with Carleton’s department of recreation and athletics.
"A replica was made but was kidnapped in 1985 by some Queen’s students by a group called PLO (Pedro Liberation Organization). That appears to be the last place the replica was seen,” said Hyrkiel in an email, citing the Carleton Library Archives.
The original mascot was sent to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton in 1979, according to the archives. However, this incarnation of Pedro appears to have gone missing, too.
“I called the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton and was told that they don’t remember seeing it and don’t think they have it,” said Hyrkiel, noting that the Hall intends on doing a more in-depth search before ruling out the possibility they still have Pedro.
Even the University of Ottawa, who won nine of the last 10 Panda Games, don’t know Pedro’s current whereabouts, Hyrkiel said, after contacting the Gee-Gees athletics department.
“I have a feeling that he is out of the hands of either school and is sitting somewhere in a former student’s house (maybe even at Queen’s),” Hyrkiel said in an email.
Carleton’s department of recreation and athletics is still holding out hope they will be able to locate the elusive Pedro.
The saga began in 1955 with a simple request from former University of Ottawa student and the Fulcrum associate editor Bryan McNulty. According to the Carleton Library Archives, he asked a local jeweller to donate a panda bear that would function as the Gee-Gees official mascot.
Given the name “Pedro,” the three-foot tall panda became a spectacle in himself and has been a source of animosity between the respective universities throughout the years.
But while the stuffed superstar was making all the headlines off the field, the real action was taking place on the turf of Frank Clair Stadium.
Calendars across the city had the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, the traditional date for the game, highlighted.
Kent Patel, a former U of O student, still remembers the excitement of watching the Ravens and Gee-Gees lock horns.
“The atmosphere inside the stadium was incredible,” Patel said. “In terms of sporting events, it was one of the best I’ve been to.”
Despite winning the inaugural edition of the Panda Game, Rodney the Raven saw his team get outscored 313-132 in the last 10, causing ‘Panda-Monium’ to quickly fade.
This sight of an overjoyed Gee-Gees team winning the final Panda Game 59-17 has surely left a bitter taste in the mouths of Carleton faithful for over a decade. When the Ravens return to action, they will finally have a chance to return the favour.
But before that can happen, someone will need to locate Pedro the Panda.