Sam the Eagle: What it was like to be 1984 Los Angeles Olympic mascot

It’s been decades since Chris Robles has stood inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

"It looks like they added more seats because the track was bigger. It was much bigger,” Robles recalled while gazing out at the stadium.

Then again, to a wide-eyed 20-year-old with the opportunity of a lifetime, everything probably looked a lot bigger July 28, 1984.

“I came out, and I was on the track immediately. And there were young ladies all on the field with balloons," described Robles.

He came out dressed as Sam the Eagle front and center at the opening ceremony of the 1984 Olympic Games.

So how did a young man from the San Gabriel Valley come to be one of the few to don the iconic LA 84 mascot? 

He just signed up.

"A lot of people were talking about doom and gloom that we weren't ready; the traffic would be horrible; get out of town,” Robles recalled. “I was 20 years old, and I listened to that. Then I thought, ‘Well, you know what? Instead, I'm going to get involved and be in it, and then I won't feel those effects."

His big break came as he was volunteering at an Olympic staff recruitment event.

"I donned the costume, and something changed. I was very shy, and my shyness disappeared. And when I came back, people were laughing, and the person who actually brought the costume said, ‘I want you to be my permanent Sam.’”

Forty years later, the memories still light up his face.

Robles will be 64 when the games return to the City of Angels. Although he doesn’t expect to be in a mascot costume for the 2028 Olympics, he still plans to find a way to take part.

"There's something about being the host city that the world is coming to your doorstep. You’re playing host to the entire world,” He explained. “I would recommend to anybody, no matter what age, get involved. And don't leave town. Stay. It will be life-transformative, and it was for me."