Smokey the Cannon

During the 2012 spring semester, "Smokey III" appeared at Congregation Beth Yeshurun Synagogue in Houston, Texas to honor the Berry family who lost two parents in a car accident in July 2011.

Originally, Smokey I was created by the University of Texas at Austin's mechanical engineering lab in 1953, in response to shotgun blasts often heard at the Red River Rivalry.

The current version of the cannon, Smokey III, weighs 1,200 pounds and fires up to four blank 10-gauge shells at a time.

Smokey III was built by Lupton Machine of Austin, out of the trunk of an oak tree in 1988 and purchased by the Texas Cowboys Alumni Association for $15,000.

Smokey III is transported in the Texas Cowboys’ trailer along with a wooden toolbox containing all necessary items to operate the cannon.