ANN ARBOR -- The Z-Rex is extinct at Crisler Center.

The inflatable dinosaurs debuted during Michigan's win over UCLA on Dec. 9, dancing around the Maize Rage during warmups, their open jaws giving the impression of endless roaring.

Even in a student section that included maize and blue Power Rangers and Beilein's Bee Line, at 8-feet tall, the Z-Rexes stood out.

But much like real dinosaurs, they were not long for this world.

"Just before tipoff we were informed that because the costumes were so tall and obstructed the view of some general admission seats, they would have to be deflated," says Maize Rage leader and U-M senior Carmine Finelli.

The inflatable representations of the famous bipedal carnivores, which roamed the earth during the late Cretaceous Period, 85 to 65 million years ago, returned to Crisler for recent home games against Purdue and Maryland.

They stood in attention during the national anthem, in the first row of the Maize Rage, thinking if they only blocked other students it might be OK. But they didn't make it to the first media timeout. They again drew complaints for blocking views of the game.

The Z-Rexes -- in support of sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson -- were not spotted during Michigan's latest home game and it appears they will likely be gone forever if they can't devolve into something smaller.

Like several of the eccentric fan costumes at Crisler in recent years, the Z-Rexes came from a few Michigan grads who were once discouraged by the attendance at Michigan home games.

When Percy Rosemurgy and Dave Greenfield were students, from 1999 to 2003, the Wolverines were not particularly successful, failing to make the NCAA Tournament. By 2010, Michigan was good, yet fans were still not filling the arena.

"Man, I wish we could go," Rosemurgy remembers saying to Greenfield. They lived too far away to attend games regularly -- Rosemurgy was in Florida, Greenfield in California.

"We should get some students to go for us," Greenfield said.

They laughed, then realized they might be on to something. Soliciting applications through the Michigan fan site mgoblog.com, they received about 25 essays from students willing to accept free season tickets in exchange for attending all the home games. The catch: "We wanted them to support a specific player," Rosemurgy says. "We picked Blake McLimans because his nickname was Big Bird." And that's how two students wore Big Bird costumes to Michigan home games that season, as the Wolverines tied for fourth in the Big Ten and won an NCAA Tournament game.

The next season, the alums -- joined by their college friend Simon Chen -- connected with the Crisler student section, the Maize Rage, and purchased two more costumes for fans (they no longer bought the tickets, as the students already had them). This time, it was lobsters in support of sophomore forward Evan Smotrycz -- Smotrycz's Lobstryczs, as they were called. "It made no sense," Rosemurgy says. "We know it."

They sponsored three bees and a beekeeper (for Trey Burke) during the 2012-13 season, when Michigan reached the national championship. After that, the alums felt that attendance, especially among students, was strong enough without their help.

Members of the Maize Rage dressed in inflatable T-Rex costumes watch as Star Wars cosplay characters are introduced before Michigan's college basketball game against UCLA at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, on Saturday, December 9, 2017. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

But the now-36-year-olds had fond memories of watching Michigan games on television and spotting their costumes in the stands. Rosemurgy is still in Florida, where he owns restaurants. Greenfield is in New York, working in tech product management.

"I remember seeing the lobsters during a lead-in to SportsCenter one night," Rosemurgy says. "I was so proud of those kids."

To recapture that magic, last season they thought of D.J.'s DJs. They were ready to deploy the costumes -- which included a turntable -- this season, but forward D.J. Wilson had left for the NBA. It was back to the drawing board.

"We were struggling," Rosemurgy says. "I can't tell you how many iterations we came up with."

John Beilein's Subs. An opera-themed group for Moritz Wagner. Isaiah's Livers, whatever that would have looked like. "That was a Maize Rage suggestion," Greenfield says. "From a bio major maybe."

They settled on Z-Rexes, ordered three inflatable Tyrannosaurus rex costumes for $50 each, plus custom 4XL t-shirts, and shipped them to Ann Arbor.

Interested students made their case to wear the costumes. Sophomores Charlie Zinn, Liam Flynn, and James Dolan were selected, having proven their worth by heckling Maryland star Melo Trimble at a game last season.

It remains to be seen if the trio will go prehistoric again this season.

The alums may try to order shorter costumes, but with Monday night's game against Northwestern the first of Michigan's final four home games of the season, it seems more likely they'll have to wait until next year.

This season, their larger-than-life idea was simply too big to succeed.