A quick look at Baylor’s costumed bear mascots through the years

There’s no doubt Baylor fans are some of the best in the biz, but the sidelines wouldn’t be the same without two of our favorite Bears: Bruiser and Marigold.

Baylor mascots’ looks have evolved quite a bit over the last four decades. In celebration of National Mascot Day (June 17), we’re taking a look back through Baylor mascot history.

The tradition of a costumed Bear mascot began in 1981, when the first man-in-a-bear-suit debuted at Baylor basketball games, sponsored by Wendy’s. (That’s the Wendy’s Bear below, posing with Baylor men’s basketball coach Jim Haller and athletic director Bill Menefee.) This version lasted only a few years.

In the mid- to late-1980s, a different version of the Bear appeared to rally Baylor fans at sporting events:

Following the introduction of Baylor’s green bear logo in the mid 1990s, a green bear mascot followed suit for a short time:

Baylor returned to a brown bear mascot after just a short time, and with noted motorcycle enthusiast Guy Morriss as head coach of the football team in the mid 2000s, this bear followed suit in learning to ride:

Around the same time, Baylor also added a second costumed mascot often referred to as “Inflatable Judge”:

In the late 2000s, a new Bruiser took his place in Baylor’s mascot history:

And in 2017, Baylor Spirit introduced Marigold as Bruiser’s partner. Together, they rally Baylor Spirit near and far!

Thanks to the Texas Collection for their assistance in rounding up many of these photos.

Sic’ em, Baylor mascots!

You might also like:
* A quick look at Baylor’s bear logos through the years (April 2019)
* A history of Baylor’s interlocking BU (April 2019)
* The Baylor mascots that could have been (July 2018)