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The first Bevo, 1917
bevo1917.jpg
~ from Wikipedia

2012 Valero Alamo Bowl

Saturday
12/29/12
Beavers Oregon State Beavers
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
5:45 p.m. CT
ESPN

The Origins of Bevo
 
A sometimes forgotten fact is that the first UT mascot was a Pit Bull dog named “Pig”. In 1917, some Alums raised money to obtain the perfect mascot for the upcoming Thanksgiving day game against arch-rivals, Texas A&M. They purchased a fine steer for $124 and shipped it from the Panhandle to the UT campus in Austin. A fine-looking burnt-orange and white specimen, they named him “Bo,” and so the tradition of calling UT-Austin teams the Longhorns, the hand-sign which resembles the shape of a Longhorn steer's head and horns, and the slogan “Hook'em Horns” was born.

The game didn't go so well, however. UT lost 13-0, and, with the goal of rubbing salt in their opponents' wounds, four Aggies kidnapped Bo and branded him with their winning score. The legend of how Bevo got his name began with this incident, that supposedly UT refused to allow the Aggies to break their spirit, and instead took inspiration from the brand, 13 – 0, to come up with the name Bevo. Other explanations are that the rural plural of beef is beeve, and since both a comic strip of the era and the Marx Brothers derived humor by adding an 'o' to the end of a name, Bevo was a funny and logical name for their new mascot. There was also a popular Red Bull-like drink of the era called Bevo. The Aggie-related story is most popular, despite the fact that the name Bevo appeared in print in the student newspaper prior to the branding incident, in keeping with the time honored Texas tradition of never letting the facts get in the way of a good story.

Keeping and feeding a five-foot-plus tall, 1300-1800 pound steer, with horns spanning more feet than his height. is an expensive and difficult thing, so the first Bevo met the ignominious end of being served up at the 1920 Thanksgiving day banquet, with the side with the brand being served to the Aggies, including the tanned, branded part of the hide.

Subsequent Bevos were selected and bred to be more docile, though that doesn't mean nothing ever went awry. Even though he's a steer, with testicles removed in order to make him more manageable, he's still a very, very large and potentially ornery beast. An SMU cheerleader had to defend himself with his megaphone when Bevo II charged him. Bevo III escaped and ran free and wild on campus for two days. Bevo IV attacked a parked car, and Bevo V charged the Baylor band. Yet another Bevo spooked and broke loose during a game against Rice.

Finally, in 1945, a group was formed called the Silver Spurs, to manage the breeding and handling of Bevo, who rides to and from games in a comfortable burnt-orange trailer with his name painted on the side, modified to accommodate his five-plus horn-span. Members of the Silver Spurs consider caring for Bevo to be a great honor. There have been fourteen Bevos so far, and the tradition seems likely to continue in perpetuity.

By this time Bevo had grown to be one of the most-recognized mascots in college football and arguably, one of the fiercest. Some alums even proposed fitting Bevo with 'neuticles' to replace his missing testicles, so he would appear more masculine. But, testicles or not, Bevo is in great demand for public appearances. In addition to spending every game in residence in one of the end zones, where he's frequently greeted by Longhorns who've scored touchdowns, he's also been to the Rose Bowl, championship games, and was present during George W. Bush's second inauguration as President.

UT-Austin: Hook'em Horns
hookem_horns.jpg
The Famous Hand Gesture

 Date                                     Opponent/Event                      Location
 Time/Result
 09/01/12
 vs. Wyoming (TV)
Austin Texas
W, 37-17
 09/08/12
 vs. New Mexico (TV)
 Austin Texas
  W, 45-0
 09/15/12
 at Ole Miss (TV)
 Oxford Mississippi
W, 66-31
 09/29/12
 at Oklahoma State*
 Stillwater Oklahoma

Won 41-36

 10/06/12         
 vs. West Virginia*
 Austin Texas
We will not be crushed. Lost, 51-35.
 10/13/12
 vs. Oklahoma *
Red River Shoot-Out
 Dallas Texas
 TBA/Dallas TX, Cotton Bowl
 10/20/12
 vs. Baylor *
 Austin Texas
 TBA/DKR Memorial Stadium

 10/27/12

 at Kansas *
 Lawrence Kansas
 TBA/(Lawrence) Memorial Stadium
 11/03/12
 at Texas Tech *
 Lubbock Texas
 TBA/Jones AT&T Stadium

 11/10/12

 vs. Iowa State *
 Austin Texas
  TBA/DKR Memorial Stadium
 11/22/12
 vs. TCU * (TV)
 Austin Texas
 6:30 pm CT/ESPN/DKR Memorial Stadium
 12/01/12
 at K-State *
 Manhatten Kansas
 TBA/Bill Snyder Family Stadium

Watch Mack Brown's Monday, 11 a.m. CST press conference and many other videos of plays, interviews, and commentary FREE via Central via the TexasSports.com media player.

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