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PAC12GO uploaded a new video
(1 week ago)
The most competitive bear around the bay area! Oski representing the Gol...
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The most competitive bear around the bay area! Oski representing the Golden Bears!
Oski or Oski the Bear (named after the "Oski Wow-Wow" yell) is the official mascot of the University of California and has been a tradition at the school since making his debut on September 26, 1941 during the football season-opener against St. Mary's. Up until 1941, live bears were used as mascots. Nowadays, the bear's activities are overseen by the Oski Committee, which also appoints a new Oski whenever a replacement is required. Oski chugs beer through a hole in his right eye, stands at 5-foot-7-inches, and wears a size 15 shoe.
Oski's identity is protected by the Committee and wearers of the suit generally do not disclose their having worn the suit. There may be multiple members of the Committee who wear the suit depending on their schedules.
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PAC12GO uploaded a new video
(1 week ago)
The Strongest Chompers in Oregon! The Beavers of Oregon State!
The univer...
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The Strongest Chompers in Oregon! The Beavers of Oregon State!
The university's yearbook staff was the first known organization on campus to adopt the beaver as its namesake and did so in 1915. The yearbook's long use of the name eventually helped solidify the beaver as the university's official mascot.The popularity of the beaver was also shared by students at University of Oregon. For several early publishings, students at this school also used "The Beaver" as their yearbook's title. Oregon State University's first documented use of "Benny Beaver" was found in a photograph showing students posing next to a statue of a beaver inscribed with the name "Benny Beaver." This photograph appears in the 1942 edition of the yearbook. Although this is the university's first documented use of a beaver as the school mascot, there is considerable debate as to when it was actually first used. Alumni from the early 20th century have claimed the school used the Beaver as a mascot as early as 1910. However, no known documentation exists.Prior to the beaver, Oregon State's mascot was an individual known as John Richard Newton Bell (1893--1928). A longtime member of the university's board of regents, Bell became hugely popular among the students for his ritual of marching to the Marys River after each of Oregon State's Civil War victories. He was said to have tossed his top hat into the water as a token of celebration. Earlier mascots include "Jimmie" the Coyote (1892--1893), the "Aggies," and "Bulldog" (1906--1910, unofficial and for specific teams only, such as the Wrestling squad). The beaver mascot's name, "Benny," was officially adopted in 1945. Two failed attempts to maintain a live beaver mascot include Billy Beaver (stolen) and Beavo Beaver (fell ill and died). Although Oregon State did not adopt Benny until much later, many yearbooks and athletic programs in the OSU Archives refer to the athletic teams as the "Beavers," albeit in an unofficial capacity.
The early Benny Beaver "cartoon" icon/logo was created by famous graphic illustrator, and former Disney employee, Arthur C. Evans. As the art director for Angelus Pacific Company, Evans submitted his design to OSU and it was approved for use in 1951. His logos were used at hundreds of other universities and high schools throughout the nation. Evans' beaver logo also appeared in the 1985 movie "Teen Wolf."
The first appearance of the beaver mascot, in costume and during an athletic event, was performed by Ken Austin on September 18, 1952 . Austin later founded Newberg, Oregon-based A-dec, the largest privately-held dental equipment manufacturer in North America. Austin is also a major Oregon State donor.
Between the early 1980s and mid-1990s, Benny was often joined at sporting events by a co-mascot, known as "Bernice Beaver."
In 2001 the Benny Beaver costume changed to match the new logo, but was not well accepted by younger fans. In 2005 the mascot costume was changed to a more family-friendly version. This is the version in use today (2007). Benny wears #0 at football games and #6 at basketball games.
In December of 2010, Benny Beaver was ranked 13th on a list titled 20 Worst Behaved Mascots Of All Time, in part due to an incidence, caught on film, of Benny fighting with the Oregon Duck mascot, who was ranked #1 on this list.However, Benny Beaver won the 2011 Capital One Mascot of the Year write-in campaign. The win earns him $1,000 toward OSU's Mascot Program and inclusion on the 2011 Capital One All-America Mascot Team.
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