Sunday, February 14, 1999

UK mascot finds fame in paint can

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Blue Guy is Boone Co. graduate

BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer

UK student John 'Blue Man' Walton presents Valentine flowers to Donna Smith, wife of UK coach Tubby Smith. (Sam Haverstick photo) | ZOOM |

        LEXINGTON — White teeth, white Nikes and the whites of his eyes. That's all on this guy that isn't blue.

        Head to toe, Josh Walton is painted. Cheeks, chest hair, torso — all blue. He's The Blue Guy, the unofficial University of Kentucky mascot. The guy everybody points at as he runs around Rupp Arena with a skin color courtesy of Wal-Mart's paint department.

        “I guess I do it just because it's fun,” he says. “It's pretty cool.”

        His blueness belies his real identity — he's the son of mild-mannered Florence legislator and school principal Charlie Walton.

        The whole blue thing started in the fall, back when Mr. Walton, 20, was just his usual color. He and friends had made the trip to Gainesville, Fla., to see their football Wildcats, and wanted an attention-getter that would get them on TV. Somebody got the paint idea.

        And the Blue Guy was born, in a Florida bathroom.

        “Everyone loves it,” he said Saturday, between pos ing for pictures. He slapped as many high-fives as superfan actress Ashley Judd signed autographs. Kids, adults, senior citizens — every UK fan takes notice, yelling, “Hey, Blue Man” or “Cool — look at the Blue Dude.”

        The thing they probably wouldn't guess is what's going on inside the blue head. The Blue Guy is no Smurf in the academics department. He's a National Merit Scholar. No lie.

        “I am kinda nuts, though,” he says.

        Before he was famous for his blueness, he was Josh Walton from Boone County High School. He ran track and played basketball and baseball and graduated in 1996. Now, he's a UK junior, carrying a double major in business administration and civil engineering. He may act like a nut at Rupp Arena, but he takes classes in accounting and statistics.

        That makes his parents happy. “He does a very good job in school,” his father said. “His mother and dad are very proud of him. Because he's our son, not because he's The Blue Man.”

        Mr. Walton doesn't like to give away his painting secrets. He'll say only that the color is cobalt blue. And it comes off easily in the shower.

       

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