A statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. founder Colonel Sanders was recovered from the Dotonbori River in downtown Osaka 24 years after being thrown there by fans after the Hanshin Tigers won the Japanese pennant in 1985.

Supporters chose to celebrate the victory with The Colonel because they said it resembled Randy Bass, an American hitter for the Tigers at the time.

The Tigers have not won the Japanese pennant since The Colonel hit the Dotonbori drink, which has given rise to what fans call “the curse of Colonel Sanders.”

Via Bloomberg