Judge and Bruiser are the mascots of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Judge is the name of the live mascots (both of which are North American black bears), while Bruiser is the anthropomorphized bear mascot.
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The tradition of bears being the mascots of Baylor goes back to 1914, when Baylor president Samuel Palmer Brooks sponsored a competition to find a mascot for the athletics teams, which had been playing since the 1890s. There were over two dozen options given, including antelope, frogs, buffalo and ferrets, but Bears was selected. The first live bear, named Ted, was donated by local businessman Herbert E. Mayr who won him in a poker game from the 107th Engineers at nearby Camp MacArthur in 1917. He premiered at the football game against Texas A&M. There has been a bear on campus ever since.
In 1974, the student body voted to give all future bears the first name of "Judge" (in honor of Judge Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, the school's founder) followed by a surname to differentiate between them.
The current bears are Judge Joy Reynolds, named for the wife of former president Herbert H. Reynolds, and Judge Sue "Lady" Sloan, named for the wife of former president Robert B. Sloan. Joy and Lady are biological sisters; Joy was born on January 27, 2001 at the West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon, Oregon and came to Baylor in May 2001, while Lady was born just over a year later (January 31, 2002) at the same park and came to Baylor in May 2002.[1]
The bears are housed on campus in a specially designed bear habitat. Baylor University Chamber of Commerce is responsible for the all aspects of the program including care, facility upkeep and training.
There is also another "Judge" which occasionally appears, a balloon suit mascot which wears a green shirt and gold shorts.
In recent years, Bruiser has also become a fixture on campus, as the costumed mascot of the team. He is usually seen wearing a variation of a team uniform.
The Bear Nickname and Mascot - BaylorBears.com
"Bruiser" - Baylor Campus Recreation
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