a new suit is unveiled. 2004 - Sammy the Owl is featured in Playboy Magazine's story on College Mascots 2006 - Sammy's Owl suit is upgraded. 2007 - Sammy joined Facebook and Twitter 2009 - Sammy is ejected from a basketball game against Tulane for bumping an official. Other appearances Sammy the Owl has also served as the image of Rice athletics for many years. Past images have depicted Sammy as wearing a sailor hat. In 1995, the image of the owl swooping in behind the university's name replaced old images of Sammy. The Rice Thresher awards its annual "Sammies" to the best performances in Rice theater. These awards are given by the Thresher staff without consultation with the mascot but use his name nonetheless. Remarkably, Greg Meeks, Sammy the Owl, 1991-1992 also won a Sammie best actor award for his performance as Richard the Lionheart in 1992. Sammy the Owl is also the mascot of a fictional high school in the movie Rushmore, filmed in Houston. Debates Surrounding Sammy Sammy the Owl is elected annually during the Rice University Student Association's spring election. This practice, however, has been debated since the mid-1990s. In 1995, following an incident during the Rice-Texas A&M football game, the question of who should be responsible for Sammy the Owl was raised. Following much debate, it was decided that Sammy would remain an elected student, but would be formally accountable to the athletics department. References Rice University Rice Owls Conference USA mascots Owl mascots 1917 establishments in Texas