You won’t find a more celebrated mascot in college football than Texas Longhorns’ mascot Bevo. A native Texas Longhorn Steer the color of burnt orange, Bevo is an icon of college athletics. The Bevo currently in use is Bevo XV, and he has been with the school since 2016.
The Longhorn is probably the most recognizable mascot in sports, and there have been 15 different Bevo’s since Texas started using live Longhorns as their mascot. However, how Bevo came about his name is disputed.
Who is Texas’ Mascot Bevo?
Before the use of a Longhorn as a mascot, the University of Texas used an American Pit Bull, and the decision to change their mascot has ended up being inspired.
The first Longhorn, Bevo, was bought in 1916 and was originally called Bo. He was first introduced to fans during halftime on Thanksgiving Day in 1916. At this time the Pit Bull mascot called “Pig Bellmont” was still in use.
Quiet how the name Bevo came into use is disputed, with multiple different theories. However, there is one story that is told all over campus in Austin.
MORE: History of the Texas Longhorns Mascot
The first is that Bevo comes from the word Beeves, the plural for the word beef and slang for the meat of a cow. It is the least compelling or exciting argument, but many believe the explanation to be this simple.
Secondly, is that Bevo comes from the drink Bevo. The drink was described as a ‘non-alcoholic’ beer during prohibition. This, however, is disputed as the drink Bevo was also introduced in 1916, a potential coincidence and a marketing strategy some expect.
The third theory is the one that most fans go with. How true the story is, is again disputed, but it is the most popular and the one enjoyed most by students.
The story goes that students from rivals Texas A&M broke into the ranch where the mascot was kept, after beating Texas 13-0. They subsequently branded the 13-0 score line on the Longhorn. When faced with it some students chose to use the 13 to represent a ‘B’, the dash to represent the middle of an ‘E’, and the 0 was an ‘O’. The V was added by the fans to create the name.
It seems most historians, including University of Texas historian Jim Nicar, believe that this isn’t how Bevo got his name, with parts of the story being false or exaggerated. But, students in Austin still tell the story of how Bevo got his name, and the legend of how the bull got his name will continue to be told.
However Bevo’s name came to pass, it has stuck with the Texas mascot ever since. The Longhorn is now a symbol of Texas, and Bevo XIV even attended the inauguration of George W. Bush in 2005.
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