A Slippery Rock University student is trying to bring “The Rock” to The Rock.

Samantha Kochis, 20, created an online petition on Change.org to bring movie megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Slippery Rock University, also nicknamed The Rock.

“This campaign started out as a joke among a few friends. … I thought it would make people smile,” said Kochis, of Cranberry. She’s a Student Government Association member who works part time at Murphy’s Music in Leechburg and summers with the Kiski Area High School Marching Band. She plays three instruments.

The campaign did more than that. As of late last week, more than 1,300 people had signed the online petition, just shy of the goal of 1,500 signatures.

Kochis directed her campaign to the University Board Program, a student-run organization that is responsible for bringing guest celebrity speakers to Slippery Rock.

“In addition to helping students become successful in their careers and lives, part of our mission is to help them become engaged citizens, so we applaud her efforts to get involved to influence change,” the university said in a statement.

None of the stars previously brought to campus has been bigger than Johnson. After rising to fame as a popular wrestling personality for eight years with World Wrestling Entertainment, Johnson launched an acting career.

It has included blockbuster hits such as “The Fast and the Furious,” “Rampage,” “Jumanji” and HBO’s “Ballers.” He topped Forbes’ 2019 list of highest-paid actors with $89.4 million in earnings between June 1, 2018, and this past June 1.

“It has to be audience first,” Johnson told Forbes in 2018. “What does the audience want, and what is the best scenario that we can create that will send them home happy?”

For Slippery Rock sophomore Cameron Davies, a visit to campus would work.

“My world would be rocked to see The Rock at The Rock because a powerful and accomplished university deserves a powerful and accomplished influencer,” Davies said.

While Kochis is trying to draw Johnson to campus, his voice has already found a home there. Slippery Rock football games open with an audio recording of The Rock’s former wrestling catchphrase, “Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?”

Kochis, a former SRU Marching Pride Band member, said she thinks that’s a sign that The Rock is meant to visit.

“When the SRU crowd hears this iconic line at football games, they know it’s game time,” Kuchis said.

Slippery Rock, undefeated so far this season and ranked No. 8 in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll, will have at least one more home game when it hosts an NCAA Division II playoff game at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on Nov. 30.

“I plan on keeping the petition open until there is a response from The Rock or his team,” Kochis said. “It would be pretty incredible to think this could happen, that The Rock could visit SRU because of one online petition.”

She’s still waiting for a response. Representatives for Johnson did not return messages.

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