Tony Moore


Being Big Stuff played a huge part in Tony Moore’s college career and contributed to his college identity. As the mas- cot from 2001-06, everyone knew him as Big Stuff.


“It made me feel like I was a part of Winthrop and it


allowed me to get to know people,” said Moore ’06, who lives in Los Angeles, California. “I was truly embraced by Winthrop faculty, staff, students, basketball players and the Rock Hill community.”


He first tried out for the dance team and would have been the first male dancer but the coaches weren’t sure if Winthrop was ready for that. They offered him the mascot job instead.


“It still allowed me to perform with the dancers


and the cheerleaders. I am happy I did because it eventually paved the way for the dance team to bring in male dancers,” Moore said.


He always wanted to pursue a career in the en- tertainment industry so he has worked for several years in California as a host, emcee and actor.


He never received any formal mascot training, so he made Big Stuff his own. “I just went out there and did what I thought a mascot should do,” Moore said. “I danced, I interacted with the fans, I cheered on the players and showed support at games and conferences. That is what I knew how to do.”


His advice to future Big Stuff mascots? “Be your- self and have fun. Big Stuff is brought to life by the person in it. So make him shine the way that you do. Always be kind, courteous and supportive.”


Andy Reid


Andy Reid ’07, ’10, arrived at Winthrop as a transfer student from Tyler Junior College to play soccer.


“I became friends with Tony Moore when he was Big Stuff,” Reid said. “I would joke that I was going to take


his job as Big Stuff one day.”


Moore convinced him to try out, and Reid was selected as one of a couple of Big Stuff mascots after Moore graduated. “It was a wild ride of not knowing what I was doing, but I figured it out as I went,” Reid said.


His favorite memory was traveling to Spokane, Washington, during March Madness and the Ea- gles beating Notre Dame in what is still Winthrop’s only win in the NCAA tournament. The Eagles played Oregon in the next round.


“The Oregon Duck and I decided to meet up for a ‘fight’ before the game started,” Reid said. “We met at mid-court and had a dance battle and then acted like we were stepping on each other’s side of the court. We fist bumped and walked off. The crowd went crazy, and tournament officials threatened to kick us out of the game for our ‘antics.’”


Their antics got them a mention in the Top 25 “Best Mascot Fights” in ESPN magazine and ESPN online.


Reid earned a psychology degree and worked as a graduate assistant with the Eagle Club. He earned an M.A.T. and married volleyball player Shannon Sitzmann Reid ’09. Now teaching high school in the largest Catholic school in Iowa, he and his wife stay busy with three boys.


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Margaret Smith Canon


Margaret Smith Canon ’08 remains one of the few women to wear the Big Stuff costume. She and another student took turns showing up at games and events to represent Winthrop. One of her friends had been a fill-in Big Stuff, and Canon decided to try out.


Her friends turned out for her tryout at a women’s basketball game and cheered in support. “I really enjoyed it,” Canon said. “It was pretty exhausting. I never sweated so much in my life.”


She didn’t have any training or formal choreogra- phy so she danced and passed out pizza to the most spirited fans at basketball games. She also


wandered through the stands to shake hands and pose for photographs.


She learned that some young kids could get over- zealous meeting Big Stuff. “Some would punch me or pull my tail,” she recalled.


Now living in Brevard, North Carolina, where her husband works for a Young Life camp, she’s a mom to two young children.


Embodying Big Stuff was a great experi- ence for her. “It is the best fun fact that I can tell people about myself,” Canon said.


Charlie Snipes


Charlie Snipes ’13 got a taste of being a mascot at Rock Hill High School so when he attended Winthrop, he approached the athletic department about becoming Big Stuff.


“For me it was a way to get involved in athletics and a


way to start networking,” said Snipes, who was a sport management major. He tested the water as the mascot at some events in the late summer, then tried volleyball and soccer games and then basketball.


Once he started as Big Stuff in 2007, he re- mained the mascot until 2013.


“It became so much more than networking,” Snipes said. “It really became a family thing be- cause the athletic department was so tightknit.”


When Snipes’ mother passed away in 2010, sev- eral head coaches, players, staff and President Emeritus Anthony DiGiorgio and First Lady Gale DiGiorgio showed up to pay their respects. “I thought I was just a person that put on a


costume,” said Snipes, who works as a brewer and bartender at the Rock Hill Brewing Company. “It showed me that I meant a lot to a lot of people.”


During his time, he traveled to basketball games, participated with professional Charlotte sports team mascots at events, attended cheer camps and competed as a mascot against other college mascots, coming in 15th in the nation at one point.


Another newsworthy appearance was walking fellow alumnus Johannes Schneider ’05, ’13, down the aisle at his wedding in McBryde Hall. Charlotte news stations and ESPN were there to record the magical moment.


With tryouts go- ing on now for a new Big Stuff, Snipes joked that he may give it another shot because he still has a few more appearances left in his bag of tricks.


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