No bull: Tuffy the Toro's legacy lives on, years after Triple-A team left Tucson

Walk into Paul Volpe’s basement, and you’re greeted by memorabilia that would make any Tucson sports fan weep.

The staircase leading into Volpe’s “man cave” is lined with a 1980 College World Series pennant, a 1997 NCAA basketball championship banner, John “Button” Salmon’s historic “bear down” quote and a framed letter from Hall of Fame baseball coach Jerry Kindall.

Hardwood from McKale Center has been repurposed on Volpe’s basement floor. Steve Kerr’s UA warmup jersey lives on the wall.

Recently, Volpe bought a piece of memorabilia that is quintessentially Tucson: the costume belonging to Tuffy the Toro, the Tucson Toros’ mascot.

The cost: $1,500.

“It’s a part of history,” Volpe said. “I grew up with that. Of course I was going to buy it. I’m born and raised in Tucson. I grew up going to Tucson Toros games. I thought it was a unique opportunity to have something like that.”

The Toros were Tucson’s professional baseball team from 1969 to 1997, serving at different times as the top minor-league affiliate for MLB’s White Sox, Athletics, Rangers, Astros and Brewers. The team changed its name to the Sidewinders when it became an affiliate of the Diamondbacks in 1998.

Volpe attended Toros games with his late father at Hi Corbett Field. They’d cheer for the team to score 10 or more runs, so the crowd could receive a personal pan pizza. Just beyond the right field wall sat a Tuffy the Toro billboard that billowed smoke out of his nose when Tucson hit a home run.

“It was cheesy,” Volpe conceded, “when you were a kid and see big ol’ Tuffy the Toro blowing smoke out of his nose, it was a huge thing for me.”

The path from Hi Corbett Field to Volpe’s basement was a long one.

The Underestimated City, a clothing label and shop located on North Fourth Avenue, received the license to use the Toros’ name and likeness from local businessman Jay Zucker. Zucker owned the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders, and still holds rights to the Toros name. Zucker’s Sidewinders teams wore Toros uniforms once a week as throwbacks. Zucker brought the Toros back in the independent Golden Baseball League a decade ago, but it didn’t last.

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Israel Zavala, co-owner of The Underestimated City, has a special connection with Tuffy and the Toros. A tattoo of the mascot sneers out from his neck. The Underestimated City’s first logo was modeled after Tuffy.

Zavala long wanted to use the Toros name on his shirts and hats. There was an issue.

“For the longest time, we couldn’t figure out who owned the name, the trademark, the team,” Zavala said. The shop owner said it was “like this huge Easter-egg hunt” to find the person in charge.

Volpe connected Zavala with Zucker to strike a deal. Zucker handed over hundreds of game-worn Toros jerseys and hats, three Tuffy the Toro mascot heads and one fuzzy Tuffy bodysuit.

Volpe immediately purchased a full costume for what he called “a pretty good deal.” After another mascot head was purchased, The Underestimated City is asking $500 for the final remaining head, which is believed to have been used in the 1980s.

Zucker said he’s proud to see the Toros name and legacy live on, even though pro baseball left Tucson long ago.

“It’s a part of our legacy and it’s something that I grew up with as well as many other Tucsonans. So it represents very special times and experiences in life and in sports,” Zucker said.

Zavala’s shop now sells official Toros jerseys, shirts and hats. He calls the collaboration a dream come true.

“There’s a lot of people to this day that don’t understand what this means to a lot of people. There’s a lot of younger kids that come into our shop that love Tucson, but don’t understand (the Toros memorabilia) because it’s been gone for so long,” Zavala said. “What we’re trying to do with this collaboration is to just put it back out there.

“It’s hard to fathom working with (the Toros). I would’ve loved to work with them in their heyday. To do some kind of retro thing with them is awesome.”