UCLA mascot

How the Bruins came to be

The UCLA mascot may be the Bruin now, but that was not always the case — the history of the UCLA mascot is full of fascinating twists and turns. To learn more about the UCLA mascot, visit the UCLA Alumni website, linked through the button below.

Early years

It took a couple of years for UCLA to settle on a mascot at first. According to the UCLA Alumni website, when UCLA was founded in 1919 as the new southern branch of the University of California (now known as UC Berkeley), its mascot was the Cubs, a reference to Berkeley’s Bears mascot.

In 1924, UCLA students decided that they wanted a mascot with more bite, so the UCLA mascot was changed to the Grizzly. However, when UCLA entered the Pacific Coast Conference in 1926, it had to change its mascot because the University of Montana had the same one. 

Students were divided on what the UCLA mascot should be, but when UC Berkeley, which used Bears and Bruins as its mascot, voted to give up the Bruin name to UCLA, it was quickly adopted. The Bruin remains a roaring symbol of UCLA pride to this day.

Live bear mascots 

Now that UCLA finally determined a mascot, it was time to find a live Bruin to entertain the crowd at sports games. According to a Daily Bruin article, the earliest live mascots were not students in costumes, but live bears. From the 1930s to the mid 1960s, several bears were brought to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for home games. According to the UCLA Alumni website, the bears were given a variety of names, but none were as catchy as Joe Bruin. 

Josie Bruin also had her start during the live mascots era; the first Josephine Bruin was a Himalayan bear cub who lived in the Rally Committee chair’s backyard in the early 1960s until she grew too big and was moved to the San Diego Zoo.

Costumed mascots

Eventually, UCLA decided that live bears were too dangerous to keep as mascots, and students took over the role. According to a Daily Bruin article, there were several designs of the Joe Bruin mascot, each with its own distinct personality. A design from the early 90’s was a chill surfer and partier, while another design from later in the decade bulked up and was nicknamed “Steroid Joe” by fans. 

Now, Joe and Josie Bruin are a central part of the UCLA Spirit Squad and perform at football games, basketball games and select Olympic sports throughout the season, as well as special on and off-campus events.

Interested in wearing the Joe or Josie Bruin costume? Check out the Spirit Squad audition information through the link below.