Big Jay (mascot) explained

Big Jay
University:	University of Kansas
Conference:	Big 12 Conference
Conference Short:	Big 12
Description:	Larger Jayhawk costume
First Seen:	1960s
Related Mascots:	Baby Jay

Big Jay is one of the costume mascots of the Kansas Jayhawks.^[1] Together, Big Jay and Baby Jay are Jayhawks and are the mascots used by the University of Kansas. Another mascot named Centennial Jay was temporarily used in 2012.^{[2] [3]}

History

The original mascot for the Kansas Jayhawks was a bulldog. In 1912, the Jayhawk was first seen in a cartoon by Henry Maloy in The University Daily Kansan. ^[4]

In November 1958, the Jayhawk became the official mascot for Kansas University. ^[5] The "Jayhawk" idea came from the combination of a blue jay and a sparrow hawk.

See also

• List of U.S. college mascots
• University of Kansas

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Mascots . . KU.edu . https://web.archive.org/web/20180404200941/https://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/mascots/ . April 4, 2018 . January 13, 2022 .
2. Web site: Retro Centennial Jay Helps Celebrate 100 Mascot Years . . . March 22, 2014 .
3. Web site: Top 25 Great College Football Mascots: More than Just Oversized Heads . March 22, 2014 .
4. Web site: Peterson @CarlosWritesKU . Carlos . 2019-03-07 . The history of Big Jay and the birth of Baby Jay . 2023-10-05 . The University Daily Kansan . en.
5. Web site: Mascots · 100 Years of the Jayhawk · KU Libraries Exhibits . 2023-10-04 . exhibits.lib.ku.edu.