Is Pitbull FIU’s mascot? How a weird sun, a human panther and a rapper converged

He may be the school’s famous face, but no, Pitbull isn’t the FIU mascot.

Even though the campus stadium is named for the Miami rapper — and Mr. 305 can be seen on the sidelines at some games cheering on the football team — the mascot for Florida International University is ... Roary.

Roary is a panther. Or, rather, someone dressed in a panther costume.

But Pitbull and Roary the Panther weren’t always FIU’s No. 1 fans.

MORE: A new version of UM’s mascot has just been unveiled. Take a look

At first, the school’s mascot was a yellow creature called Sun of a Blazer. The creature, also known as Son of a Blazer, was created by art student and basketball player Jamee Houk, whose design won a mascot contest.

Her prize? A hundred bucks, good money at the time for a “starving artist” like herself, Houk said in a phone interview with the Miami Herald. The mascot was unveiled during FIU’s 1985 homecoming, according to the university’s student newspaper at the time.

Houk, now an animation director, has worked in the character design and visual effects industry for nearly 40 years, including on “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,” “Fantastic Four” and the Academy award-winning “Happy Feet.” We couldn’t help ask the mascot’s creator what everyone has always wondered: What exactly is Son of the Blazer?

Houk said she wanted FIU’s mascot to have personality. But the character also had to give off a “we’re gonna beat you” vibe. So Houk made a character with a “tough guy body” and a sun flare for a head, to connect it with the nickname of the sports teams, the Sunblazers.

“I prefer not to be called S.O.B. I hate Sunny, but Blaze is not that bad,” the mascot said in November 1985 during his first press conference, according to FIU’s student newspaper. Houk didn’t pick the mascot’s name.

FIU eventually dropped the mascot, as well as the Sunblazers nickname, during the first year of Modesto Maidique’s presidency in 1987. The university’s teams then became known as the Golden Panthers and the mascot became a Florida panther called “Roary,” which Maidique believed people could identify with more.

Then in 2010, the school’s athletic teams dropped the word “Golden” and became known as the Panthers. However, the Sunblazers and Son of a Blazer haven’t been forgotten. The mascot made a cameo in FIU’s 2017 homecoming parade and Sunblazers-themed merchandise eventually made its way to the shelves of FIU’s bookstore for a limited time. An FIU student sports fan organization also adopted the Sunblazers name.

While Houk said she felt sad when her mascot was replaced with a panther, she also can’t help laugh when she looks back at the design.

After all, “you’ll never find a Sunblazer for any mascot or school logo,” she said.

Yet again, not many stadiums are named for a world famous rapper.

A version of this story originally was published in 2022 as part of a longer story that answered questions about South Florida.

This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 10:09 AM.