At the beginning of every football home game, Sebastian is best known for leading the entire football team through the smoke and onto the field, a tradition that seems here to say.

Sebastian the Ibis has evolved alongside The Hurricane in both appearance and demeanor. In 1926, Nathan Duncan selected the ibis to be chosen as the unofficial mascot after the yearbook was named “The Ibis.”

Historically, the ibis bird is known for its boldness as a hurricane advances. The bird uses its instincts to detect predators and environmental dangers. The ibis represents courage and bravery as it is the last animal to take cover before a hurricane hits and the first to return.

In 1950, the first official mascot was known as Hurricane I, a 65-pound brown and white boxer dog. The mascot wore a ceremonial orange and green blanket, with his name was engraved in white.

Following this, in August of 1957, Sebastian was born as a design submitted by Norman A. Whitten, director of the student union at UM, during a homecoming competition. Students Charles Nomina and John Stormont were involved in turning this design into a mascot named after the residents of San Sebastian Hall, an old residential building. The following year, student John Stormont performed at Hurricanes football games dressed up in an improvised ibis costume: armorlite insulation for the head, white terry cloth for the body to resemble feathers, ROTC spats for the feet, and toes made from burlap.

Originally, the ibis was named "Icky.” By 1960, the second generation ibis costume was created by Randy Jack Ogren, a UM alumni and a former Disney artist. This version of the mascot was also in the National Championship victory parade riding with Coach Schnellenberger. It was then renamed Joe Ibis.

It was not until 1980, that the ibis officially became known as Sebastian. From 1984 to 1992, Sebastian was depicted by John Routh, who later created Sebastian's signature spell out: the C-A-N-E-S cheer, where Sebastian structures the letters with his body.

At the beginning of every football home game, Sebastian is best known for leading the entire football team through the smoke and onto the field, a tradition that seems here to say.