Meet the duck who kicked his way to $500
GoldandBlack.com student assistant Rachel Jones talked with Bryce Walters, also known as the student in a duck costume. Walters nailed three field goals (from 20, 25 and 30 yards) last Saturday during a break in the action, and won $500 in the process.
GoldandBlack.com: First of all, is the costume a duck or a chicken?
Walters: Yeah, it’s a duck. Definitely a duck.
GoldandBlack.com: That was quite a performance you had on Saturday. People were calling it rigged, some even said you might have been a former Purdue kicker in a costume. What do you think about that?
Walters: Honestly, at first thought, I’m flattered. On second thought, maybe the fans who said those things had couple few too many in them. But I’m flattered and honestly, I just really appreciate it that I got the opportunity to go and kick field goals. It’s a once in a lifetime thing. It’s kind of something you dream about growing up watching Purdue sports.
GoldandBlack.com: How did you get in a position to be able to get on the field at Ross-Ade?
Walters: I’m part of what’s called “Brohm’s Barnyard.” We’re the folks in the onesies in the front row sitting near the 30-yard line. The students who run the halftime games and all sorts of stuff throughout the game always come probably an hour beforehand through the student section asking students.
We’re just sitting there, shooting the breeze, and the ladies came up. They asked if anyone had ever played soccer before, so I knew exactly where they were going with it. I quickly volunteered. Yes, I played soccer before. I was the goal keeper on my varsity soccer team in high school.
Maybe that was helpful as far as stepping off (the kicks) because I had done goal kicks in soccer.. I’ve done things (student contests) for basketball games before. Freshman year, I got on the court at Mackey against Wisconsin and won some sort of race they drummed up for us.
GoldandBlack.com: We’ve seen you at all the basketball games and football games in your duck costume. So people want to know, what is the story behind the costume?
Walters: Coming into college, I joined an organization formerly called Fairway Cooperative, now Beta Upsilon Chi. I knew there were some guys that lived there that were part of “Painter’s Petting Zoo” which is what we call ourselves at the basketball games. I knew I had that connection, I had Paint Crew back when you could still get it as a freshman. I was searching on Amazon before the season started. I mean, I’ve got to get a onesie if I’m going to be part of this group! It was either between the duck or a narwhal. I don’t know, I just picked the duck. I figured it was more common than a narwhal. People would look at the narwhal and think “What on earth is that?” I figured with the duck, people would at least see that, but obviously, we got a little chicken confusion up in here. That was basically it. First year in the petting zoo, I wasn’t very boisterous, loud in my actions, but it just kind of came as I went throughout school.
GoldandBlack.com: You were able to kick those field goals with no problem, so you appeared to be really athletic. You mentioned that you play soccer, but can you tell us a little bit more about your background in sports?
Walters: I played baseball and basketball from the time I could walk. After that I played football one year in the third grade. It was a little too rough for my liking so I said enough with that. I picked up soccer in sixth grade and played that all the way through high school. I went to a small Christian high school so I was able to play as many sports as I liked to because we didn’t have enough people to cut. Really, I don’t think I’m that athletic. I just think I had a little bit of luck on my side and picked the right sports to play.
GoldandBlack.com: We have seen you lead on the Paint Crew in cheers at the basketball games and now you’ve kicked field goals at Ross-Ade during a game in your duck costume, so what’s next for you?
Walters: It’s funny you say that. Last semester, I actually tried out to sing the National Anthem at (Purdue) baseball and softball games. I got selected, but the game I was going to sing at kept getting delayed and I had homework I had to go do so it was like, you know what, it’s a baseball game, there’s not many people here, they can just click the (recorded) track.
Still, I’d say the last thing I want to do or need to do is sing the National Anthem at a basketball game. I think that would be awesome.
GoldandBlack.com: Would you sing it in your onesie?
Walters: Yes, in the onesie of course. Or else I would just be some other guy singing the National Anthem. I don’t know, I've got to work the secret sauce I guess.
Walters is listed a senior in Mechanical Engineering Techology and hails from Greenwood, Ind..
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