Bevo (mascot) - Public Appearances and Traditions

Public Appearances and Traditions

Bevo is one of the most recognized college mascots and has even been called "the toughest-looking animal mascot in sports".

Bevo makes appearances at all home football games of the University of Texas, as well as many away games. He also typically makes appearances at important pep rallies, such as the ones in the weeks before the games against Texas A&M and the University of Oklahoma. Following commencement ceremonies, he is typically on hand for photographs with graduates and their families.

Since 1945, the care of Bevo during his transportation and appearances has been entrusted to an honorary organization of undergraduate students called the Silver Spurs. Bevo rides in a special burnt orange livestock trailer with his name on the side.

Bevo is a steer, as an intact bull would be too dangerous in a crowded environment like a stadium. In 2002, an alumni group proposed that Bevo be given neuticles to "increase his masculinity".

During football games, he typically stands or sits placidly behind one of the end zones (the south end zone in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium) and is occasionally greeted by UT players when they score touchdowns. Bred to be docile, he is riled only in the most extreme of circumstances, such as once during a lightning storm during a game against Rice University, in which he broke away from his handlers.