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Bevo is the living mascot of the University of Texas Football team, the Texas Longhorns. Ticket sales escalate when the crown knows this mysterious steer is making an appearance because of the dark and mysterious legend behind the bull. The hereditary title of “Bevo” given to a long string of orange colored steers causes a wide debate. Why the name? And what does it mean?
In November 1916 the thanksgiving festival at the University of Texas was drawing to an end with the customary football game and the Texas Aggies from A&M had come to pit their might against the mighty Texas longhorns. Tickets were sold and the game reached a fever pitch by half time as the game had gridlocked at seven all. Suddenly two West Texas Cowboys and a bunch of Texas Exes, led by Stephen Pinckney, walked into the stadium leading an emaciated, but bright orange Long Horn Steer.
Stephen Pinckney, a 1911 alum, had been working for the United States Attorney General’s, during which he had spent most of his time assisting with raids on cattle rustlers. A raid in late September produced a Steer with fur so orange that Pinckney knew he had found the mascot he’d always wanted for the University. Pinckney gathered about 124 dollars (hardly enough for a couple of Texas Longhorn tickets!) from fellow alums and bought the animal and paid for cartage to Austin.
After the presentation the steer was taken off to a Stockyard in South Austin for a bit of a “photo-op” and a long awaited meal. In true form, the longhorn held still just long enough for his picture to be taken before charging the camera! By the time they had returned the cowboys wished they had made better use of their Texas Longhorn Tickets, because the boys at University of Texas had come back for a crushing 22-7 win against the Aggies!
In a article in the December edition of the Texas Exes Alcalde Magazine, editor, Ben Dyer, publicized the event and christened the steer by writing “His name is Bevo, Long may he Reign!” His full account of the game and the halftime proceedings sold hundreds of Texas Longhorn tickets and Austin gathered around to see Bevo guide their team to victory.
The more well known part of the legend actually occurred on the morning of Sunday February 12th 1917. A group of Texas A&M students snuck into the stockyard at around 3 am with an assortment of cattle branding equipment and managed to brand Bevo with the figures “13-0”. This was the final score of a game played at College Station between the Aggies and the Texas Longhorns. Tickets to this spectacle would have raked in millions as the triumphant Aggies suck back out of the stockyard. Nevertheless, several years later it is said that the Longhorns invited the Aggies to a January Football banquet and after the main course of barbequed steer, served up the hide off old Bevo, still reading “13-0.”
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