OSU
Sports History Minute - February 16, 2001
Part
5 of 20: A History of Athletic Mascots at Oregon State
University
"Jimmie"
was a coyote (c. 1892-93)
OSU's first mascot was a coyote named "Jimmie."
According to a listing of historical items in the
OSU Archives, Jimmie was the college's mascot in
1893 and was owned by M.H. Kriebel, a local football
enthusiast. At the time, OSU was known simply as
"State Agricultural College" or S.A.C, and the school
colors were probably navy blue and white. To date,
sources outside the holdings of the University archives
that document this mascot have not been found.
Use of "Beavers" as a team name (c. 1910)
This is disputed but records in the archives suggest
OSU was first referred to as the "Beavers" in 1910.
Some historians argue the date is later, around
1916. The name had been changed by this time to
Oregon Agricultural College.
"Bulldog"
(1906-1910)
Oregon State Athletic Director James Arbuthnot
owned a bulldog in the early 1900s seen pictured
with some OAC athletic squads from the period.
The dog was an "unofficial" mascot of some athletic
teams, particularly wrestling (Arbuthnot was
the coach) and football. The bulldog was never
the school's official mascot, in the same sense
as a J.R.N. Bell or a Benny the Beaver. |
At one time, a bulldog was the school's unofficial
mascot.
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The "Human" Mascot ... John Richard Newton Bell (1893-1928)
Sometime after football was introduced at Oregon State,
Corvallis' John Richard Newton Bell, a Presbyterian
minister and longtime member of the OAC Board of Regents,
became the team's most passionate supporter. As things
evolved, J.R.N. Bell, as he was known, became the
official Oregon State "mascot," and he is so pictured
and written about in early school yearbooks. His chief
claim to fame was his ritual of marching to the Marys
River after each OSU Civil War victory to toss his
top hat into the water as a token of celebration.
Bell first threw his hat after Oregon State's initial
victory over the U of O in 1894. The event grew into
one of Corvallis' most anticipated social events and
by the 1920s was an established ritual in the community.
To honor his devotion to the university in general
and to athletics in particular, Oregon State honored
Bell in the 1920s by naming its football field, known
up to that time informally as "The College Field,"
Bell Field, a name which stayed until 1951, when Bell
Field was replaced by Parker Stadium (now Reser Stadium).
Bell Field, located where the Dixon Student Recreational
Center is located, was razed in 1953. The last game
played there was a freshman Civil War game which the
Beavers lost. A Corvallis Gazette-Times newspaper
article from March 1922 quotes Bell as saying he became
the official mascot of athletics at the college in
1893.
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Left: The crowds turn out for Bell's
ceremonial hat toss (note the people in trees
and on the bridge supports). Above: Bell's
mug shot, circa 1926. |
"Beavo" was a Beaver (c. 1920)
References to "Beavo" are very thin, and there is
some question as to how long or if Beavo was ever
an official mascot of the University. It may have
been as attempt to replace Bell with a live beaver,
to mark the recent practice (around 1910) of calling
athletic teams from the school "Beavers."
"Billy" Beaver (Fall, 1933-1944)
In 1933, a cover of the Oregon State alumni magazine
includes a full-blown photo of "Billy," a live beaver
under the care of the school's Wildlife Club. Copy
underneath the photo clearly identifies Billy as
the school's new "beaver mascot." His cartoon likeness
appears throughout the 1930s and early 1940s in
newspapers and other publications, particularly
the Barometer, and his face has the slight appearance
of the kinder, gentler "Benny" recently replaced
by an "angry" Beaver.
"The Gnawed Log" (1943)
No, a “Gnawed Log” has never been an Oregon
State mascot, but the name was used to title a sports
column in OSU’s student newspaper, The Barometer,
in 1943, and is a very early reference to the name
“Benny Beaver.” The column was written
by Dick Jenning, sports columnist for the paper.
“Benny Beaver”...earliest reference (1941-42)
According
to Candance Hayes, OSU’s Trademark and Licensing
Coordinator, the earliest reference to the name
“Benny Beaver” can be found in the 1942
Beaver yearbook on page 14, where there is
pictured a group of students with a beaver statue
mounted on a trailer named “Benny Beaver.”
The photo was taken in connection with campus activities
surrounding Homecoming for 1941. The 1941 Beaver
yearbook, which covered student life for the year
1940, also has this same statue pictured but refers
to that beaver likeness as “Bill.” So
between 1940-41, according to Ms. Hayes, “someone
came up with the name ‘Benny.’ ”
(The someone in this case may have been members
of OSC’s Rally Squad). Hayes says it’s
also interesting to note that the loveable Benny
Beaver cartoon icon, the grinning beaver head with
the OSU beanie used until replaced by an “Athletic
Beaver” icon in 2001, was drawn by Arthur Evans,
a graphic artist for Angeles Pacific, probably around
1951. Hayes says: “Evans drew many college
cartoon character mascots for car window decals.
Several years ago, I was trying to track down the
origin of OSU’s cartoon Benny in order to register
it as an OSU trademark and discovered in the process
that OSU was not the only school with that same
beaver cartoon mascot. Cal Tech also had the very
same beaver but with different letters on the beanie.
Still, it was our Benny. When I called Angeles Pacific,
I was told Mr. Evans had passed away but that he
had used the same cartoon for each school who had
the same mascot. So, every school with a beaver
mascot got what Oregon Staters fondly knew for decades
as Benny Beaver. However, I haven’t found any
other schools except OSU and Cal Tech who adopted
Mr. Evans’ beaver drawing as their mascot.
Angeles Pacific is still producing OSU merchandise
as a current licensee.”
Ken
Austin as "Benny Beaver" (1951)
Ken Austin was the first student to appear at
OSU athletic events dressed as "Benny Beaver."
This was in September 1952. His outfit looked
primitive by today's standards. Ken is a principal
owner of A-dec, one of the world's largest manufacturer
of dental equipment based in Newberg, Ore.,
and has been recognized as one of OSU's outstanding
alumni of the 20th century. He graduated from
OSU in engineering in 1953.
Right: Ken Austin was Oregon State's
first Benny. |
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"Benny
and Bernice" (c. early 1980s to mid 1990s)
During this 15 or so year period, Benny was
joined at most athletic events by "Bernice,"
a female beaver mascot, giving OSU the distinction
of possibly having the only "uni-sex" mascots
in NCAA history. During her reign, Bernice had
a habit of wearing a wedding dress every Homecoming.
Benny, course, would always be in a tux.
Left:Bernice
and Benny. |
"Angry" Beaver or "Angry Benny" Beaver (1999)
Introduced in 1999, a new "angry Beaver" logo replaced
the kinder, gentler "Benny" logo during the last week
of January 2001. "Benny Beaver" remains OSU's official
athletic mascot, even though it has become customary
for the new beaver likeness to be referred to by the
campus community as the "angry Beaver." For most alumni
and friends of OSU, any likeness of a beaver representing
OSU will still be known as "Benny," as will the life-sized
beaver that always seems to show up at all kinds of
Oregon State athletic events. The word "angry" represents
an attempt on the part of Beaver fans today to explain
the difference in appearance between the new and old
Beaver logos and is not an attempt to change the name
of the school mascot.
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Above:
The new Beaver mascot does a little crowd-surfing
during the 2000 football season. Photo courtesy
of OSU Athletic Department. |
-- George
P. Edmonston, Jr. and Larry Landis |
