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| When it Comes to Mascots, the Judge Rules as Baylor |
BAYLOR: JUDGE VIRGINIA CRUMP (GINNY) & BRUISER
When it comes to finding live mascots, many schools received theirs through donations from alumni
and fans. However, the Baylor Bear joined his new unit when his former one, the 107th engineers, a
unit of the 32nd Infantry Division moved on without their mascot in the 1920s.
Instead of transferring to the Navy, Ted the bear joined the Baylor ranks and saw his first action at the
Baylor-Texas A&M game. Since then, Baylor fans have enjoyed seeing their live mascot 'bear' down on
their competitors at a variety of athletic events.
Through the years it became a tradition to name each bear Judge, along with another name. Besides
supporting the school at games, Judge Virginia Crump who is nicknamed Ginny, enjoys other aspects
of campus life.
"About three or four times a week we take her for a walk on campus," said bear trainer Josh Pittman.
"She loves to scrounge around for acorns and pecans that have fallen from trees. We lead her on a
chain and sometimes go for a run or go into buildings and explore. It's great for her to get out because
the freedom helps her maintain her main instincts."
Pittman has a committee of 17 members that help him take care of Ginny and Judge Bill Boyd who
stays at the Bear Pit on campus. He says that when Ginny goes for her walks, she draws much
attention.
"It's an eye-opening experience for them and they usually have to do a double take because they don't
believe what they're seeing at first," Pittman said chuckling. "They sometimes think it’s a big dog until
they refocus and realize it’s a real bear.”
Perhaps they mistake the bear cub for a dog because of her favorite food. Dog food is a main staple of
Ginny's diet along with tons of nuts, fruits and vegetables. Though they mix in an occasional cookie
and ice cream serving, the bears receive much more nutrition that in years past.
"The bear’s diet used to consist of Oreo cookies and Dr. Pepper," Pittman said.
"It used to be a tradition to watch the bears hold a bottle of Dr. Pepper and drink it. Ginny is the first
bear in decades that hasn't had the opportunity to drink Dr. Pepper. It's just so bad for them."
Ginny gets to travel to schools and serves as an educational tool to the Texas children she
encounters. Of course Ginny's most important interaction is at Baylor football games.
"The crowd really feeds off her enthusiasm and demeanor," said Pittman as he watched Ginny enjoy
an ice-cream treat during the 1998 Kansas game. "She'll fire up the crowd and their response will fire
her up. She'll get real active and take off at a full sprint within a heartbeat."
As with any live mascot, there is always the possibility that rival schools might attempt to play pranks.
However, Pittman recalls hearing of one incident involving a Baylor bear that resulted in a tragedy.
"Over the past 70 years there has been two or three kidnapping attempts," Pittman recalled. I know of
one that led to the death of the bear. They (rival fans) tied the bear to a tree and then the bear climbed
the tree and wound up hanging itself. We have tightened security and nothing’s happened in the last 10
to 20 years."
A two-footed bear also stalks the Baylor sidelines. Bruiser prefers to wear a bear costume and helps
the cheerleading effort while mingling with fans.
When it comes to finding live mascots, many schools received theirs through donations from alumni
and fans. However, the Baylor Bear joined his new unit when his former one, the 107th engineers, a
unit of the 32nd Infantry Division moved on without their mascot in the 1920s.
Instead of transferring to the Navy, Ted the bear joined the Baylor ranks and saw his first action at the
Baylor-Texas A&M game. Since then, Baylor fans have enjoyed seeing their live mascot 'bear' down on
their competitors at a variety of athletic events.
Through the years it became a tradition to name each bear Judge, along with another name. Besides
supporting the school at games, Judge Virginia Crump who is nicknamed Ginny, enjoys other aspects
of campus life.
"About three or four times a week we take her for a walk on campus," said bear trainer Josh Pittman.
"She loves to scrounge around for acorns and pecans that have fallen from trees. We lead her on a
chain and sometimes go for a run or go into buildings and explore. It's great for her to get out because
the freedom helps her maintain her main instincts."
Pittman has a committee of 17 members that help him take care of Ginny and Judge Bill Boyd who
stays at the Bear Pit on campus. He says that when Ginny goes for her walks, she draws much
attention.
"It's an eye-opening experience for them and they usually have to do a double take because they don't
believe what they're seeing at first," Pittman said chuckling. "They sometimes think it’s a big dog until
they refocus and realize it’s a real bear.”
Perhaps they mistake the bear cub for a dog because of her favorite food. Dog food is a main staple of
Ginny's diet along with tons of nuts, fruits and vegetables. Though they mix in an occasional cookie
and ice cream serving, the bears receive much more nutrition that in years past.
"The bear’s diet used to consist of Oreo cookies and Dr. Pepper," Pittman said.
"It used to be a tradition to watch the bears hold a bottle of Dr. Pepper and drink it. Ginny is the first
bear in decades that hasn't had the opportunity to drink Dr. Pepper. It's just so bad for them."
Ginny gets to travel to schools and serves as an educational tool to the Texas children she
encounters. Of course Ginny's most important interaction is at Baylor football games.
"The crowd really feeds off her enthusiasm and demeanor," said Pittman as he watched Ginny enjoy
an ice-cream treat during the 1998 Kansas game. "She'll fire up the crowd and their response will fire
her up. She'll get real active and take off at a full sprint within a heartbeat."
As with any live mascot, there is always the possibility that rival schools might attempt to play pranks.
However, Pittman recalls hearing of one incident involving a Baylor bear that resulted in a tragedy.
"Over the past 70 years there has been two or three kidnapping attempts," Pittman recalled. I know of
one that led to the death of the bear. They (rival fans) tied the bear to a tree and then the bear climbed
the tree and wound up hanging itself. We have tightened security and nothing’s happened in the last 10
to 20 years."
A two-footed bear also stalks the Baylor sidelines. Bruiser prefers to wear a bear costume and helps
the cheerleading effort while mingling with fans.
Mascots, Nicknames & More |