He also appeared in ESPN ads with background cameos, such as eating in a diner booth or browsing the shelves of a bookstore. In 2004, Sparty won the Best Mascot National Championship at the Universal Cheer Association/Universal Dance Association College Nationals, becoming the first Big Ten Conference mascot to do so. He won Best Mascot for the second year in a row after securing the honor again the following year. In addition to his title of "best mascot", Sparty was voted the "Buffest Mascot" by "Muscle and Fitness" magazine. Sparty was even found in the refrigerators of local stores and many alumni when Sparty was featured on a series of Jones Soda bottles in late 2004, and he appeared again in 2005. Sparty was one of six college mascots nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame in July 2006. In the summer of 2006, Alltel Wireless aired a commercial featuring ESPN's Lee Corso and Sparty. Three years after winning top honors for the first time, Sparty was again named best mascot. It was Sparty's third title in just four years. His skit, "Sparty's Spectacular", featured music from many different genres, including rock, country, and Riverdance. To qualify for nationals, Sparty submitted a video showcasing his performances at athletic events and community service events. Sparty appeared on the cover of the Wii version of "NCAA Football 09", the first time a non-athlete was featured on it. EA Sports had a poll to see which mascot would appear on the cover, and Sparty won by over 75,000 votes. When John Hannah became president of Michigan State College in 1941, he commissioned assistant professor of art Leonard D. Jungwirth to design a statue of an athletic Spartan warrior. Jungwirth sculpted a statue known simply as "The Spartan", which soon gained the nickname of "Sparty". Though Jungwirth originally designed "The Spartan" as a bronze statue, it had to be cast in terra cotta due to World War II rationing of bronze. The terra cotta statue stood on the banks of the Red Cedar River, until 2005, when the university replaced it with a bronze replica. The original "Spartan" was moved into the stadium, where it remains on display to this day. Dedicated on June 9, 1945, the terra cotta "Spartan" is made of five large glazed terra cotta sections fired from red Ohio clay.