Ohio University Crowd Surfing Rufus 90's T-Shirt (2024 Winner)

The Bobcat Store has partnered with the school of Art + Design on a contest for students to submit designs for t-shirts that celebrate Ohio University and Athens, Ohio. Students submitted their designs to a jury of faculty, advancement staff, and alumni who selected three winning students to produce their designs. The winners all received a scholarship for their work. This t-shirt is one of three winning designs! See below for information about the artist!

Artist Statement:

I’m Grace Marquis, I’m from Columbus, Ohio, and I’m a junior graphic design major at Ohio University. I’ve been studying graphic design since high school and I’ve found that I love to incorporate illustration into my design work!

This shirt design references a photo from Ohio University’s 1999 yearbook. The photo depicts Rufus the Bobcat crowd surfing at a football game. The mascot costume used in the photo is no longer used today by OU, but still holds a place in the heart of past OU alumni.