U. student well-suited for job as NFL mascot

It's not easy being green. Philadelphia Eagles green, that is. The Eagles' mascot, also known as College junior David Leibowitz, endures taunts, cries of "Get a job!" and potentially lethal projectiles hurled from Veterans Stadium's upper deck. Leibowitz remembers a time during the infamous "iceball" game, in which crazed Philly fans were pelting the field with frozen snow, and he almost lost his life. "One of the refs put his hands up for the extra point, and he took an iceball in the head that was meant for me," Leibowitz said. "He was knocked unconscious, so I took my helmet off and got the trainers, then I thought, 'What was I doing, I could be killed' . . . that's why they don't serve alcohol after halftime." He also recalls one time when he was almost crushed by an out-of-control defender. "[The defender] couldn't pull up in time, and he grazed me with his right shoulder pad. I flew like five yards, I thank God I was conscious," Leibowitz said. In other life-threatening incidents, he tells of how an opposing fan lured him over to the stands to shake his hand then would not stop squeezing it until security came, or the time a drunken Eagles fan grabbed his leg while he was standing on the dugout, almost knocking him off, or how he sweats off five pounds of water weight every game in the sweltering uniform. But despite the dangers, Dave Leibowitz -- Lebo to his friends -- speaks of his job with a love and a passion for both the sport and the fans. "I definitely love doing it. The kids love [the mascot] . . . I get to hang out with players . . . I get the best seat in the house, and I get to have fun with the people in the stands," he says in his typical excited and enthusiastic tone. "Not all of the fans like me, but that's Philadelphia." Leibowitz, an avid football fan, member of Mask and Wig Club and all around outgoing person, says he is perfectly suited to the job of mascot. "Being a mascot requires the ability to not have any inhibitions, which is easy because you are wearing a suit that covers your face and body," Leibowitz said. "You gotta have the ability to not care what people think . . . you just gotta want to have fun." Leibowitz says he tried out for the team when he was a freshman, and beat out about 20 other applicants because "I was short enough so that the outfit fit me," adding that his status as a College student guaranteed that he would stay at his post for four years, a trait which appealed to his employers. As a living trademark of the National Football League, Leibowitz says part of his job is to attend charity functions and special events in character. "Whenever there is a charity function, like a Jerry Lewis telethon . . . or a United Way event, it gives me an opportunity to give something back," Leibowitz says. "They would pay me, but I give the check back to them for their charity." There are many regulations when working as a NFL symbol, including that he only play home games and that he never go into the stands, but Leibowitz says he is glad that the rules are in effect. He says a guard once told him of a Washington Redskins mascot who went into the stands at a New York Giants game and was grabbed into the air, passed from fan to fan, and almost thrown over one of the tiers. Although Leibowitz professes a profound respect and admiration for the Phillies' mascot, the Phanatic, who once briefly mentored him and gave him advice, he says he would never attempt to taunt or annoy an opposing player. "I'd get killed," he laughs.

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