For six decades, it’s been said that tossing a pinecone into the mouth of “Rexy”, a life-sized metal Tyrannosaurus rex statue on the University of Wyoming campus, will clinch an “A” grade on one’s next final exam.
So, just how challenging is the shot?
“It’s … extremely difficult,” UW geology major Leroy Durrant told Cowboy State Daily.
“Yeah, it’s basically impossible,” added fellow geology major Andrew Wright.
They tried at least a dozen times each early Thursday, to no avail.
“It looks like you’re going to fail all of your finals,” Durrant quipped.
“At this point, I’m not even a college student anymore,” Wright said, frustrated.
As the two started toward a nearby grove of trees to collect more pinecones, a visitor noted that there was an ample supply of cones scattered around an enclosure at Rexy’s feet – within reasonably easy reach.
But those pinecones were no good, Durrant said.
“Those are the failures of others. We don’t touch them,” he said.
Nevertheless, somebody’s been making successful throws. Rexy’s mouth is almost never not at least half full of pinecones.
A life-sized copper Tyrannosaurus rex statue, affectionately called “Rexy,” has stood outside the University of Wyoming’s Geological Museum for about 60 years. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily) 
The mouth of a life-sized Tyrannosaurus rex statue on the University of Wyoming campus is almost always full of pinecones, tossed there by students hoping for good grades on exams. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily) 
University of Wyoming geology student Andrew Wright tries to toss a pinecone into the mouth of “Rexy,” a life-sized Tyrannosaurus rex statue on campus. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily) 
University of Wyoming geology student Andrew Wright tries to toss a pinecone into the mouth of “Rexy,” a life-sized Tyrannosaurus rex statue on campus. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily)
Not Sure How Tradition Started
It’s not only college students hoping to ace a final who try their hand at landing a pinecone in Rexy’s mouth, Dr. Laura Vietti, assistant research scientist of paleontology and taphonomy, told Cowboy State Daily.
The towering metal dinosaur stands near the entrance to UW’s Geological Museum, which draws visitors of all ages.
And everyone from little children to senior citizens like to scoop up a handful of pinecones and try chucking at least one into the dinosaur’s gaping maw.
“It’s at least half, or maybe even more than half, of the people who visit the museum that stop to throw pinecones,” Vietti said.
Nobody’s certain how the tradition got started, she said.
“The word has always been that as soon as the T. rex was installed in the 1960s, people started trying to throw pinecones into its mouth. Nobody knows who the first person to do it was. But apparently, somebody saw the open mouth and picked up a pinecone, and people have been doing it ever since,” Vietti said.
It's also unknown how “Rexy” became a common affectionate term for the campus landmark, which doesn’t have an official name other than “T-rex statue.”
I just call it “the copper T. rex,’” Vietti said.
Please, No Rocks
There’s a sign attached to Rexy’s enclosure fence. It states, in large, yellow letters, “Please do not throw rocks at the T. rex.”
Vietti said the statue used to be surrounded by grass, but that changed a few years ago.
“Five or six years ago, some of the lawn was replaced with rocks. As a result, we had some people who couldn’t find pinecones right near the statue, so they picked up what they thought what was the next best thing — rocks,” she said.
But that wasn’t good for Rexy’s health.
“I started to see some pretty noticeable dings in the copper on the T. rex, so I had that sign put up,” Vietti said.
The sign was effective. There’s been a notable decline in dings coming from people trying to huck rocks into Rexy’s mouth.
Retired Professor’s Passion Project
The T. rex statue was the passion project of beloved UW professor Samuel H. “Doc” Knight, who started building it when he retired in 1963.
He put in more than 4,000 hours of work, first welding the 45-foot-long steel support structure, and then hand-hammering copper plates for the skin, according to UW reports.
If Rexy’s mouth has ever been completely free of pinecones, it’s never for long, Vietti said.
Just as soon as his mouth is cleared, either by the hand of man or the forces of nature, folks with ample aim fill it right back up with pinecones.
Grounds maintenance crews supposedly clear the pinecones regularly, “but I’ve only seen it being done once in the 10 years I’ve been here,” she said. “Most of the time, I think the wind just takes care of that for us.”
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
