1/17/2024 Bill Atessis, Mascots, Retha Swindell, Rodney Page, Marlene Frazier

The TLSN website and newsletter are free, educational, historical, and insightful, sharing Longhorn sports history through the “Eyes” of those who created it.

The Academic Scholarship by Rodney Page

Retha was the recipient of the prestigious Texas Achievement Scholarship, a 4-year full ride to UT, based on her high school academic achievements. She graduated 4th in her class, a member of the National Honor Society 2 years, and a member of Who’s Who four years. She was a true student-athlete, and her excellence extended far beyond athletics. Retha Swindell would not have been able to attend UT if not for the academic scholarship. There were no full athletic scholarships for women at the time, only a few partials for each sport. The financial times were lean in Women’s Athletics.

Part of Retha’s UT journey has been to defy many of the myths, stereotypes, and erroneous beliefs about the capacity, competence, and qualifications of black athletes and people of color, academically and athletically. There were other athletes, more than acknowledged, who were capable of attending UT, academically and not just athletically.

A sense of welcome and belonging was not as apparent as today, and some athletes were unwilling to face the challenges and difficulties of breaking racial barriers. The history, as well as the progress, are both undeniable. To read Rodney’s full article about Retha Swindell, visit the link below.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/retha-swindell-by-rodney-page

The Road to “Bevo” is filled with peaks and valleys and 180 degree turns that elicit Deja Vu moments. In 1900 U.T was known as “Varsity.” A shortened version of the word University. There was even a song written celebrating Varsity.

In 1903 the Daily Texan writers called Texas the “Longhorns,” hoping that the name would gain acceptance with the student body. It did not.

In 1916 Texas chose Bevo I as the team mascot. His introduction was an abject failure.  Bevo I was too mean, and because his lifestyle was too expensive to keep, so he was invited as the guest of honor and main course at a U.T. and A & M banquet. Rumor Has it The Meat Was Tough. Bevo, as the mascot, was realistically, symbolically and figuratively dead for the foreseeable future. 

So, in 1917 “Pig,” a dog, is crowned U.T. mascot. Pig is so popular the U.T. athletic department grants Pig a varsity letter in the form of a “T” attached to his collar.

After the demise of Pig, U.T. sports struggled to find a new mascot. For a decade, young boys supplied the answer. Boys were selected and celebrated as the mascot in team photos. Their names, such as Runt and Stubby, certainly would not pass the politically correct name test in 2020, but that is another story. 

In 1936 U.T. leadership, in a Deja Vu moment introduced Bevo II (a Hereford) as the team mascot. Like Bevo I, Bevo II was too dangerous and sent back home to live a full life. He was not invited to the banquet table.

From 1937-1944 Texas did not officially have a mascot, but the football team of 1941 unofficially chose a Longhorn named “Big Boy” as their mascot. (Photo below)

So here ends the story for this newsletter. In 1945 Bevo III was introduced to Texas students. He was not a great mascot, but he was better than his predecessors. That is until 1948 when Bevo III charged a newspaper photographer who had come “a courtin.” Bevo III was returned to the San Antonio zoo to live a full life.

The whole story of U.T. mascots, including the three theories behind the origin of the name Bevo, and highlights of all the Bevo personalities, is in the following link 

 at https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/bevo .

Before each football game, Tim Taylor publishes a detailed report on the state of Longhorn football that is regionally based (Big 12) and national in scope. TLSN has set-up a link to his site if you would like to visit. TLSN will also maintain a library of his writings at https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/tim-taylor. Good reading!

TLSN is an independent organization celebrating Longhorn Sports History and assisting qualifying Horns who need temporary financial assistance.

The TLSN website is a free, educational, historical, and insightful sharing Longhorn sports history through the eyes of those who created it.

TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.

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