The Enduring Legacy of the Cincinnati Bearcats Mascot

College sports are known for their unique traditions, pageantry, and the immense pride that alumni and fans display for their teams. Among the diverse array of over 134 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), each with its distinct background, the University of Cincinnati stands out as the sole institution represented by the Bearcat at the Division I level (excluding Sam Houston State Bearkats). The Bearcat has become an interwoven part of Cincinnati’s identity, not just representing its athletics. It is featured prominently in university marketing materials, merchandise, and campus decorations. A 15-foot Bearcat statue was erected on campus in 2010.

The Genesis of a Mascot: From Football Field to Enduring Symbol

The story of the Cincinnati Bearcats mascot is a fascinating journey that began on October 31, 1914, during a hard-fought football game against the University of Kentucky Wildcats. During the second half of that hard-fought football game, UC cheerleader Norman "Pat" Lyon, building on the efforts of fullback Leonard K. The crowd took up the cry: "Come on, Baehr-cat!" Cincinnati prevailed, 14-7, and the victory was memorialized in a cartoon published on the front page of the student newspaper, the weekly University News, on November 3. The term “UC Bearcat” dates back to 1914 and seems to have first appeared in the campus newspaper following a football game between UC and the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The name was inspired by a cheer and play on words for UC star player Leonard K. A chant created during the game, “They may be Wildcats, but we have a Baehr-cat on our side,” eventually led to the name being memorialized in a cartoon published in the student newspaper following Cincinnati’s win.

However, the name didn't immediately gain widespread use. Following Teddy Baehr's graduation in 1916, the name dropped out of use, at least in print, for a few years. On Nov. 15, 1919, Cincinnati played at Tennessee. It wasn't until a Cincinnati Enquirer writer named Jack Ryder used the term "Bearcats" in a recap dispatch that the name began to regain traction.

Defining the Bearcat: More Than Just a Name

It is rare that we have to answer the actual question of what is a mascot, but in the case of the bearcat, there is context to be provided. Scientifically known as the binturong, a bearcat is a part of the Viverridae family which is a small to medium-sized group of mammals. The word first appeared in print circa 1889 as a synonym for the giant panda. By 1895, naturalist H.N. Ridley reported that the binturong-a large cat from Malaysia-was known as the "bear-cat". Bearcats are typically found in tall forests or Nippert Stadium, depending on which part of the world you are in.

The Binturong (Arctictis binturong) is a species of the family Viverridae, which includes the civets and genets. It is neither a bear nor a cat, and the real meaning of the original name is lost, as the local language that gave it its name is extinct.

Evolution of the Bearcat Image

The first known logo used in conjunction with the school was found in 1922 and pictured a bear standing on its hind legs with a snarl on its face and a giant “C” logo behind it. UC's athletic teams sport a logo in which the letter "C" has been converted into a paw. In the ’60s, the university began using costumed mascots in place of anything live. It wasn’t until the 1980s that an actual binturong became more of the face of the program and university.

Live Mascots: Bringing the Bearcat to Life

The school has historically borrowed the animal from the local zoo; currently, Lucille is the binturong that fans can visit at the Cincinnati Zoo. In 2008 the Cincinnati Zoo adopted a three-month-old binturong or "bearcat". The zoo had a public naming contest where they decided on the name "Lucy." Lucy was a prominent figure at the University of Cincinnati often to be found on Sheakley Lawn before home football games. With Lucy’s retirement in 2019, a new mascot, Lucille, has been chosen to become the official live mascot of the University of Cincinnati. In recent years, a live Binturong has been living at the Cincinnati Zoo and has made appearances at UC Athletics events.

The Bearcat Today: A Symbol of Passion and Pride

Bearcat not only represents the University of Cincinnati but a very passionate fan base all over the country. Completing over 400 appearances on a yearly basis including football games, basketball games, swim meets, volleyball games, baseball games, soccer matches, Baby Bearcats at Children’s Hospital NICU, community service events, and all other university-related functions, you’ll find Bearcat all over Cincinnati representing the RED & BLACK. Can’t find Bearcat? Outside of a busy appearance schedule, Bearcat loves creating new and fun ways to get fans involved! The 1st official Bearcat Mascot Calendar was launched for 2023 and had everyone apart from #BearcatsNation smiling. Coming off remarkable back-to-back 1st place UCA National Championships the Bearcat has also won three UCA Gameday National Championships alongside the UC Cheerleading team! In 2009 Bearcat brought home the title of Capital One Mascot of the Year. It has been one hundred and eight years since the Bearcat name was introduced and our Bearcat started making regular appearances in 1950. Bearcat has certainly made some physical appearance changes over the years but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing the traditions of the University of Cincinnati on a daily basis! The evolution of our Bearcat Mascot program has taken major steps, becoming one of the most recognized collegiate mascots in the country. Next stop: Big 12 Conference. With much anticipation, Bearcat is extremely excited to represent the Big 12 Conference and introduce new fanbases to what being a Bearcat is all about!

In 2008, the Bearcat mascot was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame, recognizing the long history and unique discovery that led to it becoming so significant to the school.

A Legacy of Athletic Achievement

The Cincinnati Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were previously members of the Big East (2005-2013) and the American Athletic Conference (2013-2022).[2] Prior to that, they were in Conference USA, of which they were a founding member. The creation of Conference USA in 1995 was the result of a merger between the Great Midwest Conference (of which Cincinnati was a member) and the Metro Conference (whom Cincinnati had previously been a member).

Read also: History of the Block 'M'

Cincinnati's men's basketball squads have been a perennial bracket team in the NCAA tournament. A prolific era in Bearcats basketball was during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the Bearcats posted five consecutive Final Four appearances. Cincinnati has won two national championships in 1961 and 1962. Cincinnati fell out of prominence during the early 1970s. After a brief resurgence in the mid-1970s, the program fell on hard times in the 1980s, but was revitalized under head coach Bob Huggins following his hiring in 1989. Under Huggins, the Bearcats compiled a 399-127 record in sixteen seasons, and posted fourteen straight NCAA tournament appearances. The most notable of the teams from the Huggins era was the 1991-1992 team, which lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the Final Four. In addition, Huggins was responsible for recruiting several future NBA players including Kenyon Martin, Corie Blount, Ruben Patterson, Nick Van Exel and DerMarr Johnson. Huggins would eventually resign in 2005 after a power struggle with UC president Nancy Zimpher following the coach's DUI and arrest,[6] with the resulting coaching vacuum leading to a dip in fortunes for the Bearcats.

The UC Dance Team has won 5 National Championships from 2004 through 2006, 2009 and again in 2015. They are the first team in UC history to ever capture three consecutive national titles. They remain one of the top dance programs in the country and are the winningest team in University of Cincinnati history. In 2009 the dance team was also selected to represent the United States of America in the first ever world dance championships where they won the gold medal in all three dance categories.

Charles Keating won the 1946 200m butterfly national title for UC as a member of the men's swimming team and most recently, Josh Schneider[11] did the same in the 50-yard (46 m) freestyle in 2010. In men's diving, Pat Evans (3 m Dive - 1989) and women's diving Becky Ruehl (10 m dive - 1996) have brought home titles for the Bearcats.

Rivalries: Fueling the Competitive Spirit

Cincinnati's oldest football rivalry, begun in 1888, is with Miami University, located in Oxford, Ohio about 40 miles to the northwest. The Victory Bell awarded to the winner of each contest. The teams take each other on annual in many other sports. The teams met 20 times between 1921 and 2011, every year from 2005 to 2011, as conference foes and members of the Big East Conference. The schools have competed as Big 12 Conference opponents since 2023, after Cincinnati's invite into the conference.

Cincinnati and the University of Louisville battled annually for the Keg of Nails. Interest in the series was renewed with both teams reuniting in the American Athletic Conference and Memphis's basketball reemergence. Football has also intensified, with both teams playing in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game.

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

In basketball, the Bearcats' crosstown rival is the Xavier University Musketeers. Xavier is located less than 3 miles from the University of Cincinnati's main campus. Cincinnati and Xavier used to have a fierce rivalry in football, before Xavier eliminated their program after the 1973 season.

When Cincinnati joined the Big East in 2005, they and the University of Pittsburgh started the River City Rivalry. The game is a battle for the River City Rivalry trophy. In 2013 the rivalry series went on a ten year hiatus due to Pittsburgh's exit from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Cincinnati and the Dayton Flyers were another regional rivalry that has lost significance recently. The teams would play periodically in football, before Dayton went down to NCAA Division III in 1977. Cincinnati also has had intermittent rivalries with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Ohio Bobcats, and the Kentucky Wildcats. Although Cincinnati does not play these schools regularly, these are geographic rivals and are all universities of similar size and stature.

Facilities: Supporting Athletic Excellence

Richard E. Commissioned as part of UC's entrance into the Big East and serves as the centerpiece of UC's athletic facilities. It opened in 2006 and includes the Richard E. Linder Center, which provides training, meeting, studying, and classroom space, as well as the George and Helen Smith Athletics Museum. Home to the UC Baseball team. It replaced Johnny Bench Field.

A permanent home for UC football, the Indoor Practice Facility & Performance Center is being built on the site of Sheakley Field. The Indoor Practice Facility will feature a 120-yard football field equipped for multiple sports. The field will provide an all-weather home for Cincinnati football practices and year-round workouts and have direct access to the Performance Center’s weight room, training room and performance nutrition fueling stations. The 96,000 square-foot Performance Center features three levels that will provide nearly everything a student-athlete needs to get competition and practice ready in one place.

Broadcasting: Bringing the Bearcats to the Airwaves

Since 1992, 700 WLW has been the radio home for Bearcats athletics. Dan Hoard has been the football and basketball play-by-play since 2000. Former Bearcat Terry Nelson began full time duties at the beginning of the 2017-18 season as analyst for basketball replacing Chuck Machock. Jim Kelly, a Bearcat wide receiver during the mid 1970s, provides analysis for football. Mo Egger an afternoon radio host on Cincinnati's ESPN 1530 is the football pregame and postgame show host. in 2015 Former Bearcat QB Tony Pike was named the new sideline reporter replacing Tom Gelehrter, When there is a conflict with the Reds 102.7 WEBN will usually air games, when a conflict with the Bengals 55KRC airs basketball games.

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