Posted
by Frank Tankard
September 24, 2007 at 1:34 p.m.
Where's the San Diego Chicken?
Yesterday the thought occured to me: Whatever happened to the San Diego Chicken, a.k.a. The Famous Chicken? ![][1]Growing up in Kansas City, I loved going to "Famous Chicken Night" at Royals, Blades and Attack games. I don't remember any one thing the Chicken did, I just enjoyed how bizarre it was that everybody-myself included-was somehow infatuated by this Chicken.It's been years since I've seen or heard anything about him, so I checked out his [website][2] and I guess he's still around. I wish he'd come back to K.C. Or maybe even to Lawrence-why not come to a KU game? I sent him a message through his website telling him to visit.By the way, here are three fascinating facts about the Chicken:- He has always been played by the same guy, Ted Giannoulas. - The Sporting News named him one of the The Top 100 Most Powerful People in Sports of the 20th Century - The one time he missed a scheduled event, according to his site, was a Wichita Thunder hockey game in 1998, when his airline lost his luggage [1]: http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/r... [2]: http://www.famouschicken.com/
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frankt (Frank Tankard) says…
I just got a response from The San Diego Chicken himself:
Hi Frank,
Thank you so much for the warm email. Yes, I miss Kansas City very much. In fact, for many years on my website, I've listed Kansas City as my favorite major league town on the road. The fans have always been fabulous, be it for the Royals, the old Blades or even the KC Kings. (How's that for dating myself)?
Still, I was able to visit this past summer in Kansas City, Kansas for the
T-Bones minor league club. It was a wonderful night and the game did sell out. Meanwhile, I don't know why the Royals haven't extended an invitation to return other than to suggest they, like other MLB teams these days, are trying to put a more serious face to their image, ala the NFL.
Thanks again for your consideration and kind thoughts, Frank.
Best regards,
Ted Giannoulas
(The Chicken)
lazz (anonymous) says…
Awesome! Man, that would be great to get The Chicken back; it's cool that he made that remark about KC. Frank, mebbe you could help us keep an eye out by posting something if you notice that he's scheduled for a T-Bones game next year ...
so, from my previous life as a sports reporter ... actually saw The Chicken playing Ted Giannoulas ... I frankly forget where it was, it must have been a ballgame of some sort in Miami or Fort Lauderale, a brutally hot day, and Mr. G was sprawled in a locker room, chugging Gatorade. The man was absolutely drenched in sweat. He had the top part of the costume off, but was still wearing the leggings; i think it was a break in the action, not the end of the day. And I gotta tell, the dude was ripped. The routine he goes through is seriously athletic, and he does it non-stop for hours ... The Chicken is remembered and beloved for his great sense of humor (who thought "mascots" could be funny?), but he should get a bit more credit for the athleticism and grace he brings to the role he created. He is, without doubt, a superior athlete.
trombeck (Terry Rombeck) says…
Wow...I just had this same conversation about a month ago about the chicken. Thanks for filling us in.
On another note, I grew up watching the Wichita Wings play indoor soccer. I'm wondering if anybody else remembers Budman, a tights-clad guy who tossed frisbees into the crowd, and more specifically: Was that a Wichita phenomenon, or were there Budmen elsewhere?