Baylor College, a private Christian university located in Waco, Texas, has a unique and beloved mascot - the bear. The mascot, known as "Bruiser," represents the university's strength, resilience, and spirit. Bruiser, a live bear, has been a symbol of Baylor College since the early 1900s. The university is proud to have the only live bear mascot in the United States. Bruiser serves as a physical embodiment of the Baylor Bears' athletic teams and university community. The decision to have a live bear as a mascot reflects the university's commitment to its roots and traditions.

Mascots throughout the years

Many students fell in love with Lady and Joy on their first visit to campus, but otherwise, Baylor University’s live mascots are an oft-forgotten part of regular campus life. In the midst of Homecoming and a week of traditions, it’s time to reveal the truly unique history of the Baylor bears—the furry, four-legged ones.

In 1996, Eugene W. Baker, Baylor University Historian from 1981 to 1995, published a beautiful book, “Here Comes the Bears,” on the history of the bears. With the help of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce, he compiled a collection of charming pictures and quirky stories of the bears’ escapades from 1914 to 1996.

Baylor Bear mascot Chuck II sits at the desk of Texas Governor Mark White during a trip to the Texas State Capitol to promote White's appearance in the 1983 Baylor Homecoming. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Texas Collection

On December 17, 1914, a Lariat article announced the newly chosen mascots, saying “And the Baylor Bears it shall be hereafter. Perchance it will be the Bruins or the Grizzles but anyway the designation of the Baptists will be some form of the cognomen of the carnivorous, fearless Orsus.”

According to Baker, World War I affected campus life greatly and slowed efforts to obtain a live bear. Nevertheless, Baylor finally received her first mascot, Ted—often called Bruin, from the 107th Engineer Battalion. Responding to a plea in the Lariat, students raised money to provide for the expenses.

The bears that followed were credited with the success of the football team, due to the enthusiasm created when the early mascots marched with the Baylor band.

A Baylor Bear mascot drinks Dr. Pepper on campus in 1971. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Texas Collection

Joe College was one of Baylor’s most notable bears. Formally introduced to the student body in 1932, he was known across America and enjoyed fishing and swimming with his caretakers, the Baylor Chamber. He rode in the back of their Model T Ford, was arrested on Congress Avenue in Austin, and got tricked out of going into winter hibernation with hot pads and warm water bottles before the December football game against the University of Texas.

Joe College set a precedent for mascots. Through the 1970s, the bears would hold and drink from a Dr Pepper bottle at football games.

“With the Pepsi invasion on campus, I think we should bring the bears to McLane and relive the tradition of them drinking Dr Pepper,” said Temple senior Molly Montgomery.

This tradition was stopped due to health concerns, according to the sign by the bear habitat. Still, students have expressed interest in more inclusion of the live bear mascots in campus traditions and football games.

Baker wrote Baylor students often caused a stir, using the mascot as the main actor. In 1946, mascot Chita was sent to Waco jail in order to be protected from the Texas A&M threat that they’d steal the cub. Mascots Linus and Lucy often swam in a small fountain which was on Fifth Street in the 1960s. Mascot Delilah beat out Baylor candidates as a write-in for the 1971 Diadeloso Queen contest.

The year 1981 marked the entrance of a new kind of bear. Basketball season featured a “human bear” in a costume donated by Wendy’s Family Restaurant. Student Andy Spencer became Mr. Bear when he added a double zero jersey to the costume.

Students may borrow “Here Comes the Bears!” from the Texas Collection, located in Carroll Library on Burleson Quadrangle. It is recommended to email the Librarian and Curator of Print Materials before visiting at [email protected].

More photographs and links to archival materials on the bears can be found on the Texas Collection, Baylor University Flickr page.

Baylor college mascot

I posted this 1971 photo in the WBB forum and received feedback that included bear stories.

Baylor bear trainer Harrell Shelton

I love the stories of the bear mascots and their trainers. Please post your memories. Thanks !

Spring 2014

With the opening of McLane Stadium this fall, Baylor University will continue many long-held traditions, adapt some, and perhaps see the development of new ones; however, one cherished tradition will observe its 100th anniversary that of the bear as the University's mascot.

During its first seven decades of existence, Baylor was not closely identified with any animal or other entity serving as a mascot. When the University began taking part in intercollegiate football contests in 1899, some newspapers informally referred to Baylor's team as the Bulldogs or "the Baptists."

Meet the Bears

After cheering for mascot-less athletic teams, Baylor students and alumni decided it was time for a change.

During chapel on October 2, 1914
former student George Baines Rosborough,
great-grandson of George W. Baines (3rd president of Baylor),
proposed a contest to come up with a mascot "around which to wreathe the sentiment of the school in poems and songs and yells, and in college customs which add so much to college life."

To spur competition, Rosborough promised to award the winner a $5 gold piece. Nearly 24 entries were received by the contest's Dec. 9 deadline. The subsequent vote among the student body resulted in the announcement Dec. 12, 1914, of the bear as the winner, having garnered 206 of the 406 ballots cast. The buffalo was the second-most popular choice.

Doyle Thrailkill

Freshman Doyle Thrailkill had nominated the bear, and she received the $5 gold piece as her reward. The San Antonio coed announced that she intended to "make the university a present of a real, live specimen" of a bear; however, it would be a few years before a live bear appeared.

The creation of Camp MacArthur in 1917 brought thousands of U.S. Army troops into Waco to prepare for combat in World War I. Members of the 107th Engineers of the Army's 32nd Division were stationed at the camp, and they acquired a live bear as a mascot.

When the Baylor Bears played Texas A&M in football on Nov. 10, 1917, at Waco's Cotton Palace grounds, members of the 107th Engineers decided to put their bear in a truck, take him to the football stadium and parade him around the first time a live bear attended a Baylor event.

The bear was taken back to the camp. The 107th Engineers received orders on Jan. 13, 1918, to depart from Waco, and they decided to donate their furry pal to Baylor. The bear, referred to as both Ted and Bruin, was kept in the small zoo on the Cotton Palace grounds and brought out occasionally for Baylor events.

During the next 14, years a succession of live bears served as Baylor mascots, some given to the University by alumni. A few were housed at the zoo or elsewhere in Waco, while others made their home on campus either chained to trees outdoors or kept inside a pen along the bank of Waco Creek near Carroll Field.

The bear that might be called Baylor's first superstar mascot was named Joe College, and he arrived at the University as a casualty of the Great Depression.

In 1932, financial problems forced the owners of the Cotton Palace to close the facility. A bear housed at the facility, a 200-pounder who had begun his life performing in an animal show, ended up in the possession of Baylor student Bill Boyd on May 18, 1932, and soon was living in the back yard of Boyd's house near campus. Named Joe College, he was formally introduced to the student body at the first home football game in 1932.

Joe College quickly settled into life at Baylor. Boyd would take him on regular walks around campus, and the bear was so gentle and calm that students were able to pet him. The friendly bear, as the late Baylor history author Tommy Turner once noted, had personality to spare.

"(Joe College) was sleek and handsome, playful and entertaining. He could wrestle and box, safely," Turner once wrote. "Tame and well-trained, he was a natural ham. Nothing fazed him. He loved parades, bands, kids and attention. He was, someone said, just like a huge dog. He often went swimming in the river with students."

To feed Joe, Boyd sought donations from local grocery stores and restaurants as well as from student dining halls on campus, and the bear's weight grew to about 500 pounds. When it became inconvenient to keep the large bear in Boyd's backyard, members of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce offered to build a place for Joe on campus, one of a number of acts which began the long tradition of the Chamber feeding and caring for Baylor's mascots.

Joe College was the first bear to learn a trick that would be taught to many succeeding Baylor mascots drinking soda pop out of a bottle. Boyd would give Joe a bottle of Dr Pepper to drink, but the bear would empty out the opened bottle in seconds. Boyd eventually learned to leave the bottle capped with a hole punched in the top, extending the Dr Pepper drinking time to a much more crowd-pleasing 10 minutes. (The bears are no longer given soft drinks, for health reasons.)

When Baylor fans traveled to sporting events out of town, Joe College often went along, transported in an automobile or a train's baggage car. During a parade in downtown Fort Worth prior to the 1932 TCU game, Joe spotted a drugstore with a soda fountain and crashed through its front window, trying to get one of the ice cream cones; he had grown fond of the delicacy at Baylor Drug near campus.

Two years later, Joe joined hundreds of Baylor supporters in marching up Congress Avenue in Austin prior to the football game against Texas. The group entered the State Capitol building, where the bear and the Baylor band were invited inside the Texas Senate chamber to perform for legislators.

By 1940, age was beginning to slow down Joe College, and he was retired from active mascot duty. After the beloved bear died in 1943, Boyd had Joe's head and shoulders mounted, and for many years the beloved bear looked out at Baylor fans from above the scoreboard in Rena Marrs McLean Gymnasium.

"He was quite a bear," Boyd said years after Joe College's death. "We never once had to put a muzzle on him. He had such a gentle nature."

The Bentsen brothers of Texas (father and uncle to Lloyd Bentsen, Texas' U.S. senator from 1971-1993) donated Joe College's successor, named Little Joe, to Baylor in 1940. Little Joe proved to be a bit wild; the most notorious example being the time he escaped and scattered a group of sunbathing coeds.

"Their screaming departures, while clutching swimsuits, echoed throughout the Baylor campus," one account reported.

Around the time of Little Joe's arrival, the Baylor Chamber of Commerce assumed full responsibility for the training and care of the bear mascots. The Chamber selects students each year to become bear trainers, and the ranks have included notables such as former Texas State Sen. Kip Averitt. Before 1972, all bear trainers were men, but in that year Houston freshman Claire Cordell was chosen by the Chamber to become Baylor's first female trainer.

"Tradition is great, but there is a time for change," she said at the time. "I couldn't see any reason if they're gonna get new bears why I couldn't play with them, too."

The Baylor Chamber led the fundraising drive to help build the first modern home for the bears, the "Bear Pit," which was dedicated May 19, 1945. Located along the banks of Waco Creek along what is today know as M.P. Daniel Esplanade, it contained a swimming pool and areas for walking and climbing.

The mascots' living quarters received at least four major renovations over the next 30 years. The Bear Pit was demolished to make room for the Steve Hudson Bear Plaza, dedicated at Homecoming in 1977. The Hudson family provided the lead gift in honor of their son who died while he was a Baylor student. Three times larger than the previous mascot facility, it featured a waterfall and AstroTurf.

The Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat, dedicated at Homecoming in 2005 and named for the family that provided the lead gift, stands on the site of Hudson Plaza. The mascots' home now provides natural landscaping with areas for roaming and enrichment play by the animals. An educational area provides information about the North American black bear.

The Williams Habitat continues to draw thousands of visitors who come to see Judges Joy and Lady, the current Baylor mascots. Joy came to Baylor in 2001, and Lady arrived the following year. The two biological sisters, who frequently play together, will serve the University throughout their lifetimes.

More than 50 bears have served as Baylor mascots, and the names chosen for them have ranged from informal to dignified. Many mascots have been twins or part of a pair, with corresponding names tied to catchphrases or popular characters. These duos have included Topsy and Turvy, Ruff and Tuff, Rip and Tear, Nip and Tuck, Rusty and Dusty, Barney and Bailey, Countess and Duchess, Samson and Delilah, Abner and Daisy Mae and Linus and Lucy.

One bear mascot was given the name of a Biblical hero, John the Baptist, while Judge Pepper recognized Baylor's official soft drink, Dr Pepper.

Other mascot names have honored people in Baylor history, such as Baylor presidents (Rufus Burleson, Samuel Palmer Brooks and Abner McCall), first ladies (Joy Reynolds and Sue Sloan), administrators (Virginia Crump), professors (Robert Reid), donors (Zachariah Bobo) and notable graduates (Grady Nutt).

Fittingly, the trainer and companion of legendary mascot Joe College, Bill Boyd, also had a bear mascot named in his honor shortly before his death in 1987.

In the mid-1970s, Baylor began the tradition of using the term "Judge" as a prefix to the formal name of all bear mascots. The title is in recognition of the Judge R.E.B. Baylor, a founder of the University.

Almost since the time that colleges and universities began keeping live animal mascots, students from rival schools have attempted to kidnap or redecorate those mascots in the name of good-natured rivalry. Baylor history has many examples of such escapades.

One mascot, Pancho, seemed to have a special talent for attracting kidnappers, with poor Pancho as the target of two kidnappings in 1955. In October, he disappeared before the football game against the Aggies, and he was found the next day with "A&M" painted on his sides. In November just before the Texas game, Pancho's cage was broken open, and the well-traveled bear was found four days later tied to a tree in Oakwood Cemetery. He apparently spent his vacation from campus as the guest of a Longhorn fraternity.

Not every attempt to kidnap a Baylor mascot succeeded. In 1945, word spread around campus that University of Texas students were trying to steal mascot Josephine, but Baylor students were able to rush to the bear's rescue and capture six Longhorns.

The next year, Baylor students were proactive and determined not to let any Aggies steal their new mascot, Chita. They took the bear downtown to the Waco police station before the A&M game and had Chita kept safe at night behind lock and key.

Most Baylor mascot kidnappings resulted in nothing more than fun and a bit of suspense, but one ended in tragedy. In the early morning of Nov. 10, 1961, University of Texas students took Ginger from her home in the Bear Pit. As they were leading her across campus, one of the UT students became entangled in Ginger's rope and panicked, hitting the bear in the head with a wrench and killing her.

When the culprits were discovered, they apologized to Baylor and were suspended by UT officials. Ginger was remembered with a special memorial service in Waco, and Longhorn students raised the funds to repair the Bear Pit and buy Baylor its next mascot.

Baylor mascots also have interacted with members of rival schools at football games, where the bears haven't always been able to stay out of the action.

Joe College once stretched out his paw across the playing field and tripped a Longhorn runner. During the season opener with Wake Forest in 1952, Topsy brought the crowd to laughter when he ran out onto the field and made off with the flag that had been thrown by the head linesman.

At the 1954 Texas game in Waco, Longhorn students paraded a 30-foot banner with the words "Ruin the Bruin" in front of the Baylor student section. Mascots Nip and Tuck no doubt took offense. They proceeded to break loose from their trainers and tear the banner to shreds."

Texas A&M Vet Team Treats Baylor Bear Mascot For Benign Tumor

Lady is the first bear to be treated with TomoTherapy, a system found at only one other veterinary hospital in the world.

The Texas A&M team prepares Lady for her treatment in the TomoTherapy system, technology used at only one other veterinary school in the U.S.

Judge Sue “Lady” Sloan is no ordinary American black bear. In Waco, Lady holds a distinguished role as one of Baylor University’s two live animal mascots.

She also has the luxury of regular veterinary care from zoological specialists at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (CVM) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH).

When these veterinary specialists discovered a benign mass called a thymoma in Lady’s chest, they teamed up with other VMTH services to deliver a course of treatment never before used on a bear — stereotactic body radiation therapy using the TomoTherapy system.

This treatment has the potential to completely stop the tumor’s growth while also preserving the 17-year-old bear’s quality of life, which was the utmost goal of both her veterinarians and her care team from Baylor.

Lady was diagnosed with her thymoma this summer when she arrived in College Station for a routine checkup with CVM professor emerita Dr. Sharman Hoppes.

“For a checkup of a large animal like this, we do a full workup including blood work, physical exam under anesthesia and imaging,” said associate professor Dr. J. Jill Heatley, a zoological medicine specialist who joined the case later this summer. “Based on numerous radiographs, we found this mass in the chest. Gwendolyn Levine, one of the radiologists, got a really good sample and one of our clinical pathology specialists told us told us it’s an epithelial inclusive thymoma.”

When plans for treatment began, Heatley recruited Dr. Lauren Smith, CVM clinical assistant professor and radiation oncologist, to figure out the best way to deliver precise, effective treatment to Lady’s tumor, which was already larger than a softball.

Only two other cases of thymomas in bears exist in veterinary literature, one of which was found after the bear had died. The other was only found after the bear began showing signs that something was wrong.

Lady was treated for a benign thymoma with the TomoTherapy System at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

“The good news for Lady is that she’s completely asymptomatic; she has no clinical signs of the mass, which means that we caught it early,” Smith said. “Early detection is key with cancer. Being able to intervene at an early point is why we have a very positive outlook for her.”

They decided that Lady’s best treatment option was stereotactic body radiation therapy, which uses many beams of high-energy photons to deliver large doses of radiation to the tumor and spare surrounding tissues.

Although there is no record of this form of treatment ever being used on a bear, Smith said it was a good patient-based treatment option because it allowed Lady to go home between treatments and avoid complications, side effects, or risks associated with surgery.

“This treatment plan allows Lady to spend as little time in the hospital as possible and keeps her quality of life first, as well as gives her the best chance moving forward,” Smith said.

To apply this form of radiation therapy, Lady was anesthetized and placed inside the TomoTherapy system, a unique technology that is only used at one other veterinary hospital in the world.

“What makes TomoTherapy unique is that we treat these tumors in a slice-by-slice fashion,” Smith said. “We get millions of opportunities to get a dose into the tumor while avoiding normal tissues; it allows us to have much better and more conformal plans and much tighter doses of distributions to the tumor itself. Where TomoTherapy shines in cancer treatment across the world is treating tumors with complex shapes and geometries.

“Lady’s tumor is sitting right up in front of the heart and between the lungs, so we’re trying to get really high ablative doses to kill this tumor while it’s sitting in between those fairly sensitive, important structures,” she said. “TomoTherapy allows us that opportunity to still treat aggressively with these cancers while maintaining good quality of life. This is probably the first large exotic animal treated with TomoTherapy.”

TomoTherapy offers another benefit in that it has onboard CT imaging capabilities; during Lady’s three doses of treatment, the CT scanner was used to make sure she was in the same position every day.

During her treatments, Lady was accompanied and supported by Baylor students in the Baylor Bear Program and Dakota Farquhar-Caddell, associate director of student activities and the Robert L. Reid Director of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce.

“We are really lucky to be this close to Texas A&M,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “The care has been exceptional. I have direct contact with many of the staff on a daily basis. They reach out to me after we get home, checking in on how Lady is doing. We’ve had great communication and conversation with them and we’re really thankful.”

With her three radiation doses now complete, Lady has returned home to the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat in Waco, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Certified Class C Zoo facility that provides Lady and her sister, Joy, with a natural environment full of enrichment.

“Joy and Lady are a beloved part of our community, and we’re just really grateful that we have excellent care and access to resources and the ability to care for them well,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “In some ways we see our bears as ambassadors for other American black bears. They have probably the largest platform any black bear has in the country, so we use it to educate the community and for important conservation efforts.”

By focusing on her quality of life and finding an innovative way to treat her thymoma, Lady’s veterinarians and Baylor care team have taken a monumental step forward in the veterinary care of large exotic animals.

The decision to have a live bear as a mascot reflects the university's commitment to its roots and traditions. Bears have a long-standing history with Baylor College, dating back to when founder Judge R.E.

B. Baylor donated his 28-acre Republic Hill estate, which was known to be home to several bears, to establish the university. Bruiser is a significant part of Baylor College's identity, bringing joy and excitement to athletic events, community activities, and campus life. He can be seen at football games, basketball games, and various other university events, captivating the crowd with his lively presence. Besides being a symbol of strength and resilience, the Baylor bear is also connected to the university's commitment to service and giving back to the community. Baylor College actively promotes philanthropy and community engagement through various initiatives, and Bruiser plays a role in representing these values. The Baylor College mascot is deeply cherished by the university community, symbolizing the spirit and pride of Baylor Bears. Bruiser's presence at sporting events, along with the university's distinctive green and gold colors, unites students, alumni, and fans in their support for Baylor College. In conclusion, the Baylor College mascot, Bruiser the bear, is a cherished symbol of the university's strength, resilience, and spirit. As the only live bear mascot in the United States, Bruiser embodies the traditions and values of Baylor College, bringing joy and excitement to the university community and representing the proud Baylor Bears..

Reviews for "Baylor College Mascot Traditions: Carrying On the Legacy"

1. Samantha - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Baylor college mascot. It just didn't live up to my expectations at all. The costume looked cheap and poorly made, and it didn't even resemble a bear. The performance during the games was lackluster and didn't engage the crowd. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and wished they had put more effort into creating a memorable and exciting mascot.

2. John - 1/5 stars - The Baylor college mascot was a total letdown. I couldn't believe how unimpressive it was. The costume looked outdated and the person inside it didn't seem enthusiastic or energetic. It felt like they were just going through the motions and didn't bring any real energy to the games. I expected a mascot to be a source of excitement and to rally the crowd, but this one fell flat. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time watching this mascot in action.

3. Emily - 3/5 stars - While I didn't hate the Baylor college mascot, I wasn't particularly impressed either. The costume was decent, but it lacked the creativity and charm that I've seen in other mascots. The individual inside the costume tried their best, but it just didn't translate into an engaging performance. It felt like they were missing that spark that makes a mascot truly memorable and entertaining. Overall, it was a mediocre experience that didn't leave a lasting impression.

4. Daniel - 2/5 stars - I was really hoping to be wowed by the Baylor college mascot, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The costume design was uninspiring and didn't capture the spirit and identity of the college. The person inside the costume lacked personality and didn't seem to have a strong connection with the crowd. It felt like they were just going through the motions and didn't bring any real enthusiasm. I expected something more exciting and engaging, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Baylor College Mascot: Stepping out of the Shadows