Bevo (mascot)
Encyclopedia
Bevo is the name of the mascot of the sports teams
at the University of Texas at Austin
, a Texas longhorn
steer with burnt orange coloring. The shape of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand symbol and saying, Hook 'em Horns
. The current Bevo is fourteenth in the line of longhorns that have been the university's mascot.
named "Piggy".
The idea to use a live strong longhorn as the university's mascot is attributed to UT alumnus Stephen Pinckney in 1916. Pinckney gathered $124 from other alumni to purchase a steer in the Texas Panhandle
, which they originally named "Bo" and shipped to Austin
.
cheerleader, who had to defend himself with his megaphone. Bevo III escaped from his enclosure and ran amok across campus for 2 days. Bevo IV once attacked a parked car, while Bevo V broke loose and scattered the Baylor
band. More recent Bevos have had a more peaceful tenure.
The most recently retired and longest-serving Bevo was Bevo XIII, which like the current Bevo was supplied to the university by John T. Baker, owner of the Sunrise Ranch in Liberty Hill, Texas
. Baker is past president of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America
and serves as a judge in its competitions. Bevo XIII, originally named Sunrise Express, was a champion steer at the age of 3, before becoming the UT mascot. Bevo XIII became the mascot in 1988 and served 16 seasons on the sideline. He presided over 191 UT football games and attended President
George W. Bush
's inauguration in 2001. During his tenure, he presided over four (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996) conference football championships and a Heisman trophy
award for Ricky Williams
. Bevo XIII was the winningest Bevo in UT history, and was replaced by youth grand champion Sunrise Studly, becoming Bevo XIV, at the September 4, 2004 football game versus the University of North Texas
. It was the only time that two Bevos have ever appeared at the same football game. Bevo XIII was returned to Baker's ranch
where he lived out the rest of his days in peace. Bevo XIII died on October 9, 2006 due to heart failure.
Bevo XIV attended George W. Bush's second inauguration in January 2005. He also attended the 2005 Rose Bowl win over Michigan as well as the 2006 Rose Bowl game in which the Longhorns won the 2005-2006 National Championship over USC
. , Bevo XIV weighs 1800 pounds (816.5 kg), stands 5 in 8 in (1.73 m), and his horns measure 72 inches (183 cm) tip-to-tip. His birthday is April 8. At the 2008 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, he took home the honors of Reserve Champion.
football game between Texas and archrival the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (later Texas A&M University
), a game in which Texas defeated the Aggies 22 - 7. Following the game, Ben Dyer, editor of the UT campus magazine The Alcalde
, referred to the mascot as BEVO. It is not known why he chose this name, though various theories have been put forth, including that Texas A&M had a hand in naming the mascot.
The legend, accepted by both schools for decades, claims that the name came about due to a prank led by students of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. It is true that in 1916, four Texas A&M Aggies
kidnapped the longhorn and branded him with "13 - 0", the score of A&M's 1915 win over Texas. Texas students are rumored to have retaliated by changing the steer's brand to Bevo. However, newspaper records show the name was attributed to Bevo before the branding incident. Bevo was fattened up and served at a football banquet in 1920, due to the fact the university did not have the money to take care of him and he was not tamed to roam the campus. The Aggies were fed the side they had branded and presented with the hide, which still read Bevo.
Some Longhorn fans and even the official athletic site have recently come up with alternate explanations, including that the mascot was named for a near beer, Bevo.
Another potential source of the BEVO name was the one reported in The Daily Texan
, the student newspaper of UT: "Through the 1900s and 1910s, newspapers ran a series of comic strips drawn by Gus Mager
. The strips usually featured monkeys as the main characters, all named for their personality traits. Braggo the Monk constantly made empty boasts, Sherlocko the Monk was a bumbling detective, and so on. The comic strips were popular enough to create a nationwide fad for persons to nickname their friends the same way, with an 'o' added to the end. The Marx Brothers
were so named by their colleagues in Vaudeville
: Groucho
was moody, Harpo
played the harp
, and Chico
raised chicks when he was a boy. Mager's strips ran every Sunday in newspapers throughout Texas, including Austin. In addition, the term 'beeve' is the plural of beef, but is more commonly used as a slang term for a cow (or steer) that's destined to become food. The term is still used, though it was more common among the general public in the 1910s when Texas was more rural. The jump from 'beeve' to 'Bevo' isn't far, and makes more sense given the slang and national fads of the time."
Bevo makes appearances at all home football
games of the University of Texas, as well as many away games. He also typically makes appearances at important pep rallies, such as the ones in the weeks before the games against Texas A&M
and the University of Oklahoma
. Following commencement ceremonies, he is typically on hand for photographs with graduates and their families.
Since 1945, the care of Bevo during his transportation and appearances has been entrusted to an honorary organization of undergraduate students called the Silver Spurs
. Bevo rides in a special burnt orange livestock trailer with his name on the side.
Bevo is a steer, as an intact bull
would be too dangerous in a crowded environment like a stadium. In 2002, an alumni group proposed that Bevo be given neuticles
to "increase his masculinity".
During football games, he typically stands or sits placidly behind one of the end zones (the south end zone in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
) and is occasionally greeted by UT players when they score touchdown
s. Bred to be docile, he is riled only in the most extreme of circumstances, such as once during a lightning storm during a game against Rice University
, in which he broke away from his handlers.
Texas Longhorn Athletics
Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, a Texas longhorn
Texas longhorn (cattle)
The Texas Longhorn is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and tip to tip for bulls. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist. Texas Longhorns are known for their diverse coloring...
steer with burnt orange coloring. The shape of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand symbol and saying, Hook 'em Horns
Hook 'em Horns
Hook 'em Horns is the slogan and hand signal of The University of Texas at Austin. Students and alumni of the university employ a greeting consisting of the phrase "Hook 'em" or "Hook 'em Horns" and also use the phrase as a parting good-bye or as the closing line in a letter or story.The gesture is...
. The current Bevo is fourteenth in the line of longhorns that have been the university's mascot.
History
A Longhorn steer was not the original mascot of the University of Texas. The original mascot was actually a pit bulldogBulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
named "Piggy".
The idea to use a live strong longhorn as the university's mascot is attributed to UT alumnus Stephen Pinckney in 1916. Pinckney gathered $124 from other alumni to purchase a steer in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, which they originally named "Bo" and shipped to Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Lineage
Counting the currently serving mascot, there have been fourteen Bevos to date. Bevo I was originally named "Bo" but came to be called Bevo during his service. Bevo II once charged a SMUSouthern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
cheerleader, who had to defend himself with his megaphone. Bevo III escaped from his enclosure and ran amok across campus for 2 days. Bevo IV once attacked a parked car, while Bevo V broke loose and scattered the Baylor
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
band. More recent Bevos have had a more peaceful tenure.
The most recently retired and longest-serving Bevo was Bevo XIII, which like the current Bevo was supplied to the university by John T. Baker, owner of the Sunrise Ranch in Liberty Hill, Texas
Liberty Hill, Texas
Liberty Hill is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,409 at the 2000 census, and 1,491 in the 2005 census estimate.-Geography:Liberty Hill is located at , about 29 miles northwest of Austin....
. Baker is past president of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America
Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America
The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America is a North American organization of ranchers who participate in the breeding and husbandry of Texas Longhorn cattle. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the organization was founded in 1964 to serve as a registry for the longhorn breed...
and serves as a judge in its competitions. Bevo XIII, originally named Sunrise Express, was a champion steer at the age of 3, before becoming the UT mascot. Bevo XIII became the mascot in 1988 and served 16 seasons on the sideline. He presided over 191 UT football games and attended President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's inauguration in 2001. During his tenure, he presided over four (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996) conference football championships and a Heisman trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
award for Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
. Bevo XIII was the winningest Bevo in UT history, and was replaced by youth grand champion Sunrise Studly, becoming Bevo XIV, at the September 4, 2004 football game versus the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
. It was the only time that two Bevos have ever appeared at the same football game. Bevo XIII was returned to Baker's ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
where he lived out the rest of his days in peace. Bevo XIII died on October 9, 2006 due to heart failure.
Bevo XIV attended George W. Bush's second inauguration in January 2005. He also attended the 2005 Rose Bowl win over Michigan as well as the 2006 Rose Bowl game in which the Longhorns won the 2005-2006 National Championship over USC
University of Southern California Trojans football
The USC Trojans football program, established in 1888, represents the University of Southern California in college football. USC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I FBS and the Pacific-12 Conference . The Trojans have been a football powerhouse throughout NCAA...
. , Bevo XIV weighs 1800 pounds (816.5 kg), stands 5 in 8 in (1.73 m), and his horns measure 72 inches (183 cm) tip-to-tip. His birthday is April 8. At the 2008 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, he took home the honors of Reserve Champion.
Origin of the name Bevo
"Bo" made his first public appearance at the halftime of the 1916 Thanksgiving DayThanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
football game between Texas and archrival the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (later Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
), a game in which Texas defeated the Aggies 22 - 7. Following the game, Ben Dyer, editor of the UT campus magazine The Alcalde
The Alcalde
The Alcalde has been the alumni magazine of The University of Texas at Austin since 1913, and is published by the university's alumni association, the Texas Exes....
, referred to the mascot as BEVO. It is not known why he chose this name, though various theories have been put forth, including that Texas A&M had a hand in naming the mascot.
The legend, accepted by both schools for decades, claims that the name came about due to a prank led by students of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. It is true that in 1916, four Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
kidnapped the longhorn and branded him with "13 - 0", the score of A&M's 1915 win over Texas. Texas students are rumored to have retaliated by changing the steer's brand to Bevo. However, newspaper records show the name was attributed to Bevo before the branding incident. Bevo was fattened up and served at a football banquet in 1920, due to the fact the university did not have the money to take care of him and he was not tamed to roam the campus. The Aggies were fed the side they had branded and presented with the hide, which still read Bevo.
Some Longhorn fans and even the official athletic site have recently come up with alternate explanations, including that the mascot was named for a near beer, Bevo.
Another potential source of the BEVO name was the one reported in The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan is the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. It is entirely student-run and independent from the university. It is one of the largest college newspapers in the United States with a daily circulation of roughly 30,000 during the fall and spring semesters and bills...
, the student newspaper of UT: "Through the 1900s and 1910s, newspapers ran a series of comic strips drawn by Gus Mager
Gus Mager
Charles Augustus Mager , better known as Gus Mager, was an American painter, illustrator and cartoonist during the first half of the 20th century...
. The strips usually featured monkeys as the main characters, all named for their personality traits. Braggo the Monk constantly made empty boasts, Sherlocko the Monk was a bumbling detective, and so on. The comic strips were popular enough to create a nationwide fad for persons to nickname their friends the same way, with an 'o' added to the end. The Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
were so named by their colleagues in Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
: Groucho
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
was moody, Harpo
Harpo Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
played the harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, and Chico
Chico Marx
Leonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
raised chicks when he was a boy. Mager's strips ran every Sunday in newspapers throughout Texas, including Austin. In addition, the term 'beeve' is the plural of beef, but is more commonly used as a slang term for a cow (or steer) that's destined to become food. The term is still used, though it was more common among the general public in the 1910s when Texas was more rural. The jump from 'beeve' to 'Bevo' isn't far, and makes more sense given the slang and national fads of the time."
Public appearances and traditions
Bevo is one of the most recognized college mascots and has even been called "the toughest-looking animal mascot in sports".Bevo makes appearances at all home football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games of the University of Texas, as well as many away games. He also typically makes appearances at important pep rallies, such as the ones in the weeks before the games against Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
and the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. Following commencement ceremonies, he is typically on hand for photographs with graduates and their families.
Since 1945, the care of Bevo during his transportation and appearances has been entrusted to an honorary organization of undergraduate students called the Silver Spurs
Silver Spurs
The Silver Spurs is the honorary service organization responsible for the caretaking and transportation of the University of Texas Longhorn mascot, Bevo.Founded in 1937, the charter members felt that there was need for another spirit-service group on campus...
. Bevo rides in a special burnt orange livestock trailer with his name on the side.
Bevo is a steer, as an intact bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
would be too dangerous in a crowded environment like a stadium. In 2002, an alumni group proposed that Bevo be given neuticles
Neuticles
Neuticles are prosthetic testicular implants for neutered dogs and other domestic animals. Creator Gregg Miller won the 2005 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine, a parody of the real Nobel Prize, for his invention. As of September 2007, more than 240,000 pairs of the patented product had been sold, in all...
to "increase his masculinity".
During football games, he typically stands or sits placidly behind one of the end zones (the south end zone in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
-Major Expansions and Renovations:*1926 - "Horseshoe" built on the north end for US$125,000 raising capacity to 40,500*1948 - Two L-shaped sections added to the east and west stands, raising seating capacity to 60,130. General contractor for this work was Farnsworth & Chambers Inc...
) and is occasionally greeted by UT players when they score touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. Bred to be docile, he is riled only in the most extreme of circumstances, such as once during a lightning storm during a game against Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, in which he broke away from his handlers.