Barney Bearcat
Barney's Early Days
Barney was represented by three different mascot costumes over the years, some more bear-like than others. The original costume seems to have appeared in early 1948, and was initially referred to simply as "Bearcat." Later, around 1950, he was given the name Barney by the football team while on a trip to Honolulu for a game with the University of Hawaii.
This version of Barney had dark fur, a long tail, and wore shoes. Although his eyes sometimes appear completely white, this could simply be the reflection of the camera flash.
Barney was decidedly male, and it would seem that he was consistently personified by male students. This is implied by a Collegian article in October 1958, when it explains that "Probably for the first time in history ... it was not Barney Bearcat present, but Barnice Bearcat. The famous mascot was impersonated by a stalwart and unidentified coed."
This costume was replaced with a similar one in the 1970's. He had black fur and rounded ears, and his face was more defined.
Cuddly Barney
The mascot program went through a slump, and in 1986, Barney was brought back by Anna Brief, the Spirit Club president.
"Bundy Kinder '87 and I were joking with Coach Broeker about getting a mascot costume to get people going in the stands," she says in the Collegian in 1986. She formed the Spirit Club, which worked hard to revitalize school spirit, especially at sports games.
Barney was now a fuzzy, brown, pot-bellied bear in a sweater, similar to the one drawn by Nancy Stuart in 1952. Unfortunately, his appearance was mocked throughout his career. A candidate for ASWU Vice President based his platform on getting a "mascot costume you can respect." Others simply felt that Barney did not look fierce enough. Despite the criticism, this version of Barney would remain until the 1997 national championship football game, when Barney was retired for good.