JANUARY 2015 SUNRAYS | 37
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
can pet and caress XIV without risk
of upset on his part (though the part-
time journalist maintained a comfort-
able distance).
As popular as longhorns are now, it was
only 125 years or so ago that they were
at greater risk for extinction than the
buffalo. The product of natural crosses
between wild cattle left by the Spanish
and settlers’ free-range domestic cat-
tle, longhorns became known for their
ability to survive on minimal and var-
ied vegetation, their easy calving, for
their adaptability and longevity, and
for their resistance to many diseases
and parasites. Returning Civil War vet-
erans found millions of them roaming
the plains of Texas, and between 1866
and 1895, trailed about ten million of
them to markets to feed hungry people
in the North.
Fencing of the open ranges and the im-
portation of other beef breeds in the late
1800s did to longhorns what the prairies
of Texas couldn’t do - virtually wiped
out the breed. In an effort to save the
longhorns, the Federal Government took
action in 1927, appropriating $3,000 to
finance a 5,000-mile round-up of the
remaining twenty-three longhorns in the
southern Texas/northern Mexico area.
Later, other private parties began build-
ing herds as well, and the Texas icon
was preserved.
Unlike other cattle, longhorns come in a
variety of colors and patterns, and their
meat is very lean - some research claims
longhorn steaks contain less cholesterol
than skinless chicken breasts. Not that
Bevo XIV is worried about appearing on
a dinner table – from his calm demeanor
amidst the accolades and hoopla, it’s
clear he was born to be a star.
Beloved though Bevo may be, he’s not the only beast on the sidelines. Here’s
the story behind four other living mascot legends.
~ Compiled by Jaime Calder
REVEILLE
Texas A&M University – College Station, Texas
If kids revered their parents the way A&M does Reveille,
we’d be living in a very different world. During World
War II, Reveille was granted the honorary title of Cadet
General, making her the highest-ranking member of
the Corps of Cadets. She has her own wardrobe (daily
and formal), towels, bedding, and a blanket emblazoned
with five diamonds. The only non-service animal allowed
in campus buildings, students are dismissed whenever
Reveille barks in a class. In September 2014, Cadet Ryan Kreider stepped
in front of a sprinting SMU wide receiver – something not typically done by
people not actually playing football – in order to protect the napping mascot.
Photo: Creative Commons, P. Boyd
JUDGE JOY & JUDGE LADY
Baylor University – Waco, Texas
Baylor began competing in intercollegiate sports as
early as the 1890s, though a mascot was not selected
until 1914, when bears beat out contenders such as the
Baylor Ferrets and the Baylor Bookworms. Baylor’s first
live bear was provided in 1918 as a parting gift from the
107th Engineers, stationed at Camp MacArthur (with,
apparently, bears). Against all common sense, students
(particularly Aggies) have made multiple efforts to feed,
free, and even kidnap Baylor’s bear, including one incident in which two A&M
students, in an attempted abduction, watched helplessly as their enraged captive
tore apart their vehicle from the inside out. Lesson learned: don’t steal bears.
Photo: The Texas Collection at Baylor University
PERUNA
Southern Methodist University – Dallas, Texas
Named for a Prohibition Era medicinal with a curiously
high ABV, Peruna the Shetland pony may seem out of
place at the helm of the SMU Mustangs. But, like his
namesake, there’s more to Peruna than what meets the
eye. To the delight of SMU fans everywhere, Peruna
remains unapologetic for the following: knocking Bevo
to the ground; subjecting Texas Tech’s horse, Misty,
to his untoward attentions; “fertilizing” TCU’s newly
branded field turf, and perhaps most notably, kicking the Fordham ram in the
head, killing it instantly.
Photo: SMU Rotunda Yearbook, 1933
RALPHIE
University of Colorado – Boulder, Colorado
Youmight not expect the role of amascot named “Ralphie”
to always be filled by a female. But then, you wouldn’t
expect an institution with such pride in its physics pro-
gramwould hand some sophomores a fully grown buffalo.
A regular at games since 1966, the handling of 1,300
lb Ralphie has been a learning process, with valuable
lessons including the level of damage a charging buffalo
can do to an infield, how many votes it takes to crown a
buffalo Homecoming Queen, and how far a CU co-ed can fly.
Photo: Colorado Buffalo Athletics
