Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas, has a unique and beloved mascot - the bear. The choice of a bear as the school's mascot has significant historical and cultural origins. The bear has become synonymous with Baylor University, representing its strength, tenacity, and indomitable spirit. One of the main reasons why Baylor chose a bear as its mascot is due to the university's rich history. Founded in 1845, Baylor has faced numerous challenges and hardships throughout its existence. From the American Civil War to devastating fires and financial crises, the university has shown resilience and perseverance, much like the bear.

Baylor bear to get retirement home off campus as school pursues new cubs

Matt Burchett, Baylor’s senior director of student activities, discusses improvements planned at the on-campus bear habitat, including an arch and more seating. The school also is building an off-campus habitat that will serve current mascot Lady in retirement.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Baylor University is set to build an off-campus retirement habitat for current mascot Lady, and also plans to renovate its on-campus habitat in the spring.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Baylor University is set to build an off-campus retirement habitat for current mascot Lady, and also plans to renovate its on-campus habitat in the spring.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Baylor University is set to build an off-campus retirement habitat for current mascot Lady, and also plans to renovate its on-campus habitat in the spring.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Baylor University is set to build an off-campus retirement habitat for current mascot Lady, and also plans to renovate its on-campus habitat in the spring.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Baylor University is set to build an off-campus retirement habitat for current mascot Lady, and also plans to renovate its on-campus habitat in the spring.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Pedestrians pass near the south entrance to Baylor University's bear habitat.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Baylor University is set to build an off-campus retirement habitat for current mascot Lady, and also plans to renovate its on-campus habitat in the spring.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Matt Burchett, Baylor's senior director of student activities, discusses improvements planned at the on-campus bear habitat, including an arch and more seating. The school also is building an off-campus habitat that will serve current mascot Lady in retirement.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Matt Burchett, Baylor's senior director of student activities, discusses improvements planned at the on-campus bear habitat, including an arch and more seating. The school also is building an off-campus habitat that will serve current mascot Lady in retirement.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Matt Burchett, Baylor's senior director of student activities, discusses improvements planned at the on-campus bear habitat, including an arch and more seating. The school also is building an off-campus habitat that will serve current mascot Lady in retirement.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Matt Burchett, Baylor's senior director of student activities, discusses improvements planned at the on-campus bear habitat, including an arch and more seating. The school also is building an off-campus habitat that will serve current mascot Lady in retirement.

• Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

Lady, the only living Baylor University mascot, soon may move into a retirement home.

Her age of almost 21 puts her in a similar camp as a human pushing 90 years old, and Baylor wants her spending her golden years in style: napping, eating a well-balanced diet, receiving great medical care and climbing when the mood strikes her.

Frankly, that is the life she leads now at the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat just off South Fifth Street on campus. A visitor early Wednesday afternoon would have witnessed Lady in full nap mode, lying on grass, direct sun slowly giving way to lengthening shadows, Waco Creek gurgling nearby.

Slowly, her big head roused, and she seemingly sneaked a peek at her surroundings, including the student standing behind wrought-iron railing.

“Oh, yeah, between noon and 4 o’clock, she’s chilling,” the fan said.

A Century of Sic ’Em: Celebrating 100 years as Baylor Bears

One hundred years ago this summer, Baylor was without a mascot. Our sports teams were occasionally called the Bulldogs or the Baptists in newspaper accounts, but they had no official nickname. By the fall of 1914, Baylor students were ready for that to change. On Oct. 2, 1914, a contest was proposed 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.” Little did former student George Baines Rosborough (great-grandson of former Baylor president George W. Baines) know when he uttered those words and offered a $5 gold piece as a prize that we’d be throwing up a “sic ’em” generations later to show our enthusiasm for that contest’s winner. [READ “The Bears,” a detailed history of the Baylor mascot, from the Spring 2014 issue of Baylor Magazine] Students voted on nearly 24 entries after the contest’s December deadline, and the overwhelming winner was “Bear,” suggested by San Antonio freshman Doyle Thrailkill. Bear earned more than half of the 406 votes, easily beating the second most popular suggestion, the buffalo. Three years later, Baylor would receive its first live mascot, which appeared at a game for the first time on Nov. 10, 1917, against Texas A&M at the Cotton Palace Grounds. Live bears have been a staple of the Baylor experience since then, appearing not only at games, but also living in local zoos, pens and the bear pit. In the earliest days, they were occasionally even kept chained to trees on campus. Thankfully, the Bill & Eva Williams Bear Habitat represents quite an upgrade from those times. Joy and Lady are, of course, the latest in a long line of live mascots, and they’ll enjoy the 100th anniversary attention when fans come to campus to cheer on their football-playing counterparts at McLane Stadium. A lot has changed at Baylor in the last 100 years (for that matter, a lot has changed at Baylor in the last few years), but one thing has remained constant for nearly a century now — rather than the Baptists or the Buffaloes or the Bulldogs, we all are united in cheering on, and calling ourselves, the Bears. Sic ’em, Bears!

Why is baylor mascot a bear

The following are excerpts from the book:

Here Come the Bears
The Story of the Baylor University Mascots
Author: Eugene W. Baker
(1996)

This book details some but not all of the suffering of the Baylor bears over the decades of the bear mascot program. Incredibly, the book was written by a Baylor supporter! We believe this book demonstrates the mindset of supporters of Baylor's bear mascot program, and reveals the true role of the bears -- as objects of entertainment and servitude.

Page 18
On one occasion, while tied up, Betty Co-Ed decided to climb and explore the tree. In the attempt she became entangled in the rope and fell from the tree.

The rope tightened around her neck and began to choke her. Her sounds and scuffling attracted the attention of two young men who rushed to her aid. With some difficulty they eventually freed her from her predicament.

Instead of being grateful to the men who released her, she charged them both. One of the men, A.W. Dub Norton tried to kick Betty Co-Ed, who though hurt was still agile enough to bite the end of his shoe off. University officials soon decided that it was unsafe to keep the bear on campus and persuaded Baylor benefactor M.P. Daniel to allow Betty Co-Ed to live on his property in Liberty, Texas. She remained there for some time but eventually broke loose and was killed by a farmer.

Page 30
Josephine would give birth to two cubs in January 1949. Unfortunately, one would be destroyed by Big Joe at birth.

The other, which was named Little Princess, would live only a few hours in spite of heroic efforts by local veterinarians.

Her death was attributed to the injuries she received during a fight between Josephine and big Joe. Baylor Chambermen buried the infant bear in a specially made coffin and placed a head marker on the grave which read, "Sleep Little Princess."

Big Joe and Josephine would produce another pair of cubs the following year. Named Barney and Bailey, they would quickly become the darlings of the campus. In 1951 Josephine would become the mother of triplets, none of which would survive.

It would be several more years before any of Josephine's other offspring would live more than a few hours, but in 1959 she would give birth to Rusty and Dusty.

Page 33
While returning in a driving rainstorm, the wooden trailer in which Chita was riding came loose causing the car that was pulling it to overturn. Chita's trailer then struck an oncoming vehicle. Luckily no one was injured, but Chita suffered a broken leg.

Page 40
Bailey had died in a tree climbing accident.

Page 47
In the early morning hours on Friday, November 10 (1961), University of Texas students raided the Bear Pit and attempted to kidnap Ginger. As they were pulling her across the moat the bear and a student got tangled in the same rope with each lashing out against the other for protection. In fear for his life, the student hit Ginger on the head with a wrench and killed her.

Page 57
In October 1969, after having been at Baylor about three months and shortly after his first and only performance at a football game, Bruno was found dead hanging from a tree. There were rumors that some students had wrapped the bear's chain around his neck, perhaps as a prank, and that this had caused his death.

Page 70
During a filming of a local television show at the Bear Plaza, Judge the 9-year-old 625-pound pit bear, was lured from a shady area with a Dr Pepper. Chuck was then placed next to him. Suddenly Judge, evidently not wanting to share the drink, attacked the 55-pound cub. Trainers used every means available to separate the animals, but Judge was too powerful and Chuck was mortally wounded.

Partial List of Dead Baylor Bears
Based on information from Here Come the Bears
(Please note that the average bear life span is 25 years)

Eyewitness accounts of one Baylor "trainer's" abuse

- September 4, 2002
During the construction of the Black Bear Habitat here at Austin Zoo, Brandon Adley, the Baylor Bear "Handler" made a visit to the construction site with "Bobby." This visit was to show Bobby his new home. Brandon also brought Bobby to Austin Zoo to move in permanently and to give me a few bear handling pointers. From what I saw and heard, it was most likely the last times Bobby had unprotected contact with humans. Bobby who was now over two years old, was often annoyed with Brandon, who on several occasions resorted to kicking Bobby in the testicles and pulling the chain around his neck to control him. During this time I also witnessed Brandon wielding and striking Bobby with a pair of "nunchucks." These are martial arts weapons consisting of two sticks of wood held together with a length of chain. Brandon would hold one stick and flick the other up and at Bobby, again hitting him in the testicles. - Jim Carroccio / Austin Zoo Habitat Manager

- May, 1996
In May of 1996 I saw Brandon Adley kick Bobby the Baylor bear in the testicles as a means of controlling Bobby. - Terry Polk

Shot, Beaten, Beheaded and Skinned -- The Horrific Case of Queso the Cat

ANIMAL PEOPLE
May 2002

Hangin' judge Roy Bean "justice" prevails in Texas for feral cats

WACO, Texas--Circa 1883, Val Verde County justice of the peace Roy Bean, "The Law West of the Pecos," ruled at one of the most infamous trials in U.S. history that "There ain't no law in the state of Texas against killing a Chinaman."

That verdict was recalled on March 19 in Waco when a McLennan County jury decided that there is no law in the state of Texas against killing a feral cat, no matter how it is done.

The three-man, three-woman jury deliberated for just 55 minutes before finding former Baylor University pitcher Derek Brehm, 21, innocent of misdemeanor cruelty for admittedly shooting a cat named Queso with a pellet gun on the patio of a Taco Cabana restaurant in March 2001, battering the cat with a golf club, and then decapitating him, skinning his head.

Defense attorney Ross Hunt convinced the jury that the Texas anti-cruelty statute does not apply to feral cats because it defines "animal" as a domesticated or captured creature, to avoid application to hunters and trappers.

Hunt argued that Taco Cabana night manager Teresa Jones had not domesticated or captured Queso, although she did feed and name him.

Hunt also asserted that Queso was not tortured because, Hunt claimed, Queso must have been dead after he was shot, even though Jones said Queso was still alive when Brehm and former Baylor outfielder Clint Bowers, 22, drove him away to hit him with the golf club--to make sure he was dead, again by their own admission.

After Brehm was acquitted, prosecutor Crawford Long dropped cruelty charges against Bowers, since the evidence against him was the same.

Brehm and Bowers were both suspended from the Baylor baseball team for eight games. Brehm was dropped from the baseball team after a September 2001 arrest for drunk driving. He lost his scholarship to attend Baylor as result of that offense, did 50 hours of community service at the Waco animal shelter for the drunk driving charge, and then transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington. Bowers is still attending Baylor, but is no longer playing baseball.

Dallas attorney and Animal Legal Defense Fund president Robert "Skip" Trimble told reporters that the Queso case exemplifies the need to update and improve the Texas cruelty statute.

Merritt Clifton
Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE
P.O. Box 960
Clinton, WA 98236

Telephone: 360-579-2505
Fax: 360-579-2575
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

Baylor President throws dog out 3rd story window

Even before the Baylor live mascot program began, Baylor seemed to be a place where cruel people felt they could act out their character defects. One such story included at Baylor's website involves one of its presidents, Oscar Henry Cooper, who was president from 1899 to 1902. Cooper was quite a piece of work, as the following paragraphs from the Baylor site demonstrates:

According to J. M. Dawson, a student at the time, "some prankish students sneaked a howling dog into the small upstairs chapel on the lofty third floor of Main. When the perverse little animal disturbed the worship the president became enraged. He (Cooper) leaped down from the platform, seized the dog and hurled it through a window to the ground below. The act appalled everybody, because it showed a lack of control deemed inexcusable, although under most exasperating circumstances."

No mention of the obvious and egregious cruelty; most Baylor people were appalled at Cooper's "lack of control." There is no mention of what happened to Cooper's victim, labeled as "perverse" and "exasperating." The students involved were merely "prankish."

Interestingly, the article continues with the following:

Cooper apologized for his rash action, but according to Dawson "a gifted pugnacious youngster named J. Frank Norris led a sensational student uprising against him." The final result was the tendering of his resignation at a called meeting of the trustees.

We hope that caring and sensitive students at Baylor will once again take a stand against abuse, and will stop the abuse of the Baylor bears. As Mr. Norris proved in 1902, such a movement can start with one person.

From the American Civil War to devastating fires and financial crises, the university has shown resilience and perseverance, much like the bear. The bear is also a symbol deeply rooted in Texas culture. Texas is known for its vast wilderness and is home to numerous bear species, such as the black bear.

Bears hold great significance in Texan folklore and are often associated with strength, courage, and protection. By adopting the bear as its mascot, Baylor pays homage to the state's heritage and instills a sense of pride in its Texan students and alumni. Moreover, the bear aligns with Baylor's athletic aspirations and competitive spirit. As a Division I school, Baylor competes at the highest level of collegiate sports. The bear embodies the qualities necessary for success on the field or court, such as power, agility, and a ferocious demeanor. This symbolism not only inspires the student-athletes but also fosters a strong sense of unity and support among Baylor fans. Additionally, the bear serves as an important ambassador for the university. It represents Baylor's values of excellence, integrity, and service. Through community outreach programs and public appearances, the bear mascot fosters positive relationships between the university and its surrounding community. The bear becomes a symbol of unity and pride, bringing people together under the Baylor name. In conclusion, Baylor University's choice of a bear as its mascot stems from the institution's rich history, cultural significance, athletic ambitions, and dedication to community engagement. The bear represents Baylor's unwavering spirit and serves as a powerful symbol of strength, resilience, and Texan pride..

Reviews for "Baylor Bears: Unleashing the Spirit of the University"

1. John - 1 star

I really didn't like "Why is baylor mascot a bear" at all. The writing was poorly done and lacked any creativity. The author seemed to only state the obvious, without offering any interesting insights or perspectives. Additionally, the book was quite short and felt more like a long blog post rather than a comprehensive exploration of the subject. Overall, I found it to be a waste of my time and would not recommend it to anyone.

2. Sarah - 2 stars

I had high hopes for "Why is baylor mascot a bear" but was ultimately disappointed. The book lacked depth and relied heavily on clichés and common knowledge. I was expecting more research and analysis, but instead, it felt like a shallow overview of Baylor's mascot history. The writing style was also quite dry, which made it difficult for me to stay engaged with the content. While it may appeal to hardcore Baylor fans, I don't think it offers much value for those looking for a more in-depth exploration of the topic.

3. Michael - 1 star

I found "Why is baylor mascot a bear" to be incredibly boring and uninformative. The book lacked any sort of narrative structure and felt disjointed. It jumped from one point to another without providing any context or explanation. The writing was also very repetitive, with the author constantly reiterating the same information without adding anything new or meaningful. I would not recommend this book to anyone, especially those looking for a well-written and cohesive analysis of Baylor's mascot choice.

4. Emily - 2 stars

"Why is baylor mascot a bear" failed to meet my expectations. The book lacked depth and failed to provide any real insight into the reasoning behind Baylor's choice of a bear mascot. The author seemed more interested in regurgitating facts and figures rather than offering any critical analysis or perspective. Additionally, the writing style was quite dry and did not engage me as a reader. Overall, I found it to be a mediocre and forgettable read.

Baylor's Bear Mascot: Evolving Through the Years