His face was showing his age. His attitude was not sitting well with fans. And worst of all, he was scaring little kids.  An intervention was in order.

So Rowdy the River Hawk, the 11-year-old mascot for the UML athletic teams, received an extreme makeover, with experts helping him polish his appearance, improve his attitude, and create a whole new bird—one that could rally River Hawk fans without striking fear into the hearts of children. This remarkable transformation was filmed by CN8, the Comcast Network, and recently aired on the show “Sports Pulse.”

Peter Casey, associate athletic director, said Rowdy’s problems became apparent soon after his creation in 1994, when the UML sports nickname changed from the Chiefs to the River Hawks.

“When he was first created, he was envisioned as a superhero-esque type mascot, with the bulked-up physique and ferocious glare. What we found was that a lot of our youngest fans were frightened by Rowdy, so we wanted to make him more kid friendly,” says Casey.

They tapped local experts, such as the hair stylists at the Big League Barber Shop, anger management consultants, even a plastic surgeon—a beakologist—who recommended a softer, more friendly schnoz. The athletic department also received professional help from Scollon Productions, a mascot image firm that specializes in tough cases like Rowdy’s.

The camera crew from CN8 followed Rowdy everywhere, documenting his before and after look, interviewing coaches, players and fans and watching him work out at the Campus Recreation Center. What they discovered was a mascot with an image problem. Coaches and fans were checking with the athletic department to see if Rowdy would be present at certain games so they could warn their children. Head Basketball Coach Ken Barer’s daughter would retreat to his office in fear. Even the students were making fun of him, cruelly taunting him for his look while ignoring the beautiful mascot inside.

The newly made over Rowdy made his official “reveal” at the River Hawks hockey game against Boston University on Oct. 28. Fans cheered, players applauded and, best of all, children approved. He is still buff, but his muscles are more toned than bulky. His beak gently slopes to a non-threatening point. His smile is more genuine and less ferocious. His outside look finally matches the spirit inside.

Besides airing on “Sports Pulse,” the 15-minute makeover documentary will be aired on Jan. 28 during the UML hockey game against Boston College, which will be televised on CN8. Casey also plans to convert the video to a web-friendly format so fans can view it from the goriverhawks.com website.