The nicknames for the Baylor bear mascot represent the school's spirit and traditions. One of the most well-known nicknames for the bear is "Judge." This nickname stems from the bear's appearance and demeanor, as it stands upright and seems to oversee the campus with authority. The name "Judge" also reflects Baylor University's motto, "Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana" (Latin for "For Church, For Texas"), as it brings to mind a sense of justice and fairness. Another popular nickname for the Baylor bear is "Bruiser." This nickname highlights the bear's strength and power, as it represents the resilience and determination of the Baylor community.
Baylor mascots also have interacted with members of rival schools at football games, where the bears haven't always been able to stay out of the action.
Baylor mascots also have interacted with members of rival schools at football games, where the bears haven t always been able to stay out of the action. Baylor University extends its deepest gratitude to the student caregivers and staff of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce and the veterinarians at Texas A M College of Veterinary Medicine Biomedical Sciences and the Texas A M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station for their dedication to the care of our Bears and their genuine love for our Joy and her quality of life.
" This nickname highlights the bear's strength and power, as it represents the resilience and determination of the Baylor community. The bear mascot is an essential symbol of Baylor University and its student body, and these nicknames help to establish a sense of identity and pride among students and alumni..
Baylor University Mourns Passing of Baylor Bear Mascot Judge “Joy” Reynolds
WACO, Texas (BAYLOR UNIVERSITY) - Baylor University bear Judge Joy Reynolds, known simply as “Joy,” beloved sister of Judge Sue “Lady” Sloan and a cherished member of the Baylor Family for 21 years, passed away peacefully today surrounded by her loving and dedicated caregivers, staff and veterinary team.
One of Baylor’s treasured North American Black Bears, Joy will forever be remembered as an enduring symbol of Baylor’s spirit and tradition. The University will honor Joy in an on-campus memorial dedicated to the legacy of the past, present and future members of the Baylor Bear Habitat. Her sister, Lady, who is 20, will continue to receive the world-class supervision and protection of her caregivers in the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat. In addition, for Lady’s continued care as she ages into retirement, the University is moving forward on the construction of a permanent retirement facility, similar to their on-campus housing, at the Bears’ off-campus enrichment area.
Joy was born Jan. 27, 2001, at West Coast Game Park in Bandon, Oregon. From the moment she arrived on the Baylor campus as a rambunctious four-month-old cub, Joy captured the hearts of Baylor students, alumni, faculty and staff and more than 250,000 campus visitors a year. Joy loved the visits from schoolchildren from throughout Central Texas and generations of families, students and alumni, who shared in the thrill of meeting Joy and Lady and learning about the Bears’ unique mission of stewardship, education and conservation.
With her sister named after former Baylor First Lady Sue “Lady” Sloan, wife of the University’s 12th President Robert B. Sloan Jr., Joy also shared a name with another Baylor First Lady, Joy Reynolds, wife of Baylor’s 11th president, Dr. Herbert H. Reynolds. Joy was officially introduced to her namesake on the front lawn of the Reynolds’ residence in June 2001, with her first bear trainer Tyler Sellers, B.S. ‘02, and bear coordinator Ryan Fitzhugh, B.B.A. ‘02, by her side. The little cub then visited Pat Neff Hall to meet Dr. Sloan, who came prepared with three bottles of special formula. Curling up like an infant in the president’s arms, Joy drained the bottles in a matter of minutes.
Although she briefly lived in Sellers’ “bear-proofed” apartment, Joy’s eventual campus home was alongside Chance, a two-year-old bear named after Dr. Reynolds, in the Steve Hudson Memorial Bear Plaza. After Chance was retired in 2002, Joy welcomed her biological sister, Lady, to the plaza that summer.
As Lady was growing as a Baylor Bear, she and Joy were slowly introduced to one another, with their student caregivers building up their interactions over a seven-month period before they were fully placed together in the plaza in 2003. The sisters were an inseparable pair from that moment on, while the University committed to taking care of Joy and Lady for the rest of their natural lives.
At Baylor Homecoming in 2005, Joy and Lady celebrated with hundreds of students, alumni and friends as the University officially dedicated their new home, the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat. In May 2021, the Williams Bear Habitat earned the gold-standard Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation, becoming the first university in the world to receive this designation. Joy loved exploring all corners of the greatly expanded facility, which provided a natural environment with two separate yards for roaming and enrichment, along with trees, two pools, a stream and waterfall, two caves and a den. Each day, Joy and Lady could be found playing together, swimming in their pools, napping in the shade (or a sunny spot for Joy) and foraging for their favorite treats. Joy was particularly fond of cherries and avocados.
Judge Joy Reynolds (Baylor University/Lori W. Fogleman)Joy loved her weekly trips with Lady away from campus to a large enrichment facility where she roamed, climbed trees and enjoyed additional exercise and “goal-based” enrichment strategically planned by her student caregivers. These activities – that were like puzzles or toys – encouraged vertical movement, foraging and digging, which heightened and stimulated both Bears’ sense of smell and sense of sound while strengthening their prolonged focus and more.
Joy also excelled at “voluntary vet care,” where she learned natural behaviors that allowed her veterinarian to check her teeth, muscles and other important aspects of her physical health while reducing the stress of yearly vaccinations or exams. One of those natural behaviors was “smiling,” which Joy loved to do.
Both Bears’ fur ranges from cinnamon brown to jet black depending on the season, so it sometimes could be challenging to tell who was Joy and who was Lady. However, Baylor fans could tell the difference by observing another of the bears’ natural behaviors that simulates fans’ traditional “Bear Claw” hand signal paired with Baylor’s “Sic ‘em, Bears” cheer. When the Bears raised their paw in a Sic ‘em (as bears do naturally when reaching for berries in trees), Joy was the one with her right paw proudly in the air. (Lady is left-pawed.)
Speaking of Sic ‘em, Joy adored her Baylor Bears, eventually retiring with her sister from the football sidelines before the 2010 season. However, she and Lady continued to offer their unwavering support for all of Baylor’s teams through their growing social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, which included their popular gameday picks (always Baylor!), and they faithfully listened to every Baylor game on the radio. Joy and her sister also made numerous national TV appearances on ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS and most recently on “Jeopardy!” as a question (correctly answered!) in an April episode of the popular game show.
In 2020, as the world and the Baylor campus changed dramatically as COVID-19 began to spread across the country, Joy and Lady teamed up with their student caregivers to bring happiness and hope to the Baylor Family and beyond. The Bears sent thousands of encouraging postcards to friends and families across the globe and offered a variety of virtual educational programming, like the weekly “Joy & Lady’s Cub Club,” to engage kids (and kids at heart!) in bear-themed activities and more when visitors couldn’t physically visit the Habitat.
Judge Joy Reynolds (Baylor University/Lori W. Fogleman)In October 2021, ahead of the Baylor-Texas football game, Joy and Lady made history as the first live college mascots to send a tweet — thanks to a custom, paw-friendly Twitter app, mounted in a bear-sized wooden box placed in the Habitat. The Bears were active on social media throughout that weekend, posting their #BaylorHabiTweets about everything from their diet to their thoughts on who would win the big game, Bears or Longhorns? (Joy and Lady’s prediction was spot on as Baylor won 31-24.)
As Joy and Lady entered their golden years, their student caregivers modified all trainings, enrichments and diets according to the recommendations of the Bears’ veterinary care team to reflect the care they would need in their unique stages of life. Joy loved mealtimes with her sister as the Bears enjoyed diving into their specially formulated omnivore diet and raw protein sources like fish, supplemented with fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, coconut, apples and peaches in the morning and vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, sweet potatoes and avocados in the evening. They never missed an opportunity to celebrate their January birthdays at the Williams Bear Habitat with a party that brought hundreds of students and Bear fans to campus to enjoy cake and special treat, like “Joy & Lady’s Favorite,” a grapefruit and honey-flavored ice cream from Heritage Creamery created in honor of their birthdays and inspired by some of their favorite foods.
Joy was predeceased by a brother in California. She is survived by her beloved younger sister, Lady; and a brother, who is an actor in California. She also is survived by dozens of Baylor student caregivers within the Baylor Chamber of Commerce, who dedicated themselves to providing Joy with the very best care for more than two decades, seven days a week, 365 days a year, including between semesters, on major holidays and regardless of weather conditions.
Baylor University extends its deepest gratitude to the student caregivers and staff of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce and the veterinarians at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station for their dedication to the care of our Bears and their genuine love for our Joy and her quality of life.
Memorial contributions to honor Joy’s memory and legacy can be made to the Bear Habitat/Mascot Fund at Celebrating the Life of Baylor Bear Mascot Judge “Joy” Reynolds. All donations will support the planned bear retirement facility and continued enhancements to the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat, benefiting Lady and the future generations of Baylor’s American Black Bear ambassadors.
A remembrance service will be held for Joy early in the fall semester once students fully return to campus. In addition, cards and letters may be sent to Baylor Bear Habitat, One Bear Place #97185, Waco, TX 76798-7185.
The University hopes to receive two rescue American Black Bear cubs next year to continue Baylor’s tradition of having live bear mascots reside in the heart of campus and continue their unique mission of stewardship, education and conservation for the local community and beyond.
Copyright 2022 KWTX. All rights reserved.
John "Killer" Kane played football and basketball for Baylor in the late 1920s. Kane became an integral force in the Army Air Corps by earning the reputation for being the best pilot and the toughest commander. Kane was singled out for leading a dangerous low-level bombing raid on one of Hitler's oil refming complexes in Romania. The battle that took place in August of 1943 was the deadliest air battle in history at the time.
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Reviews for "Unmasking the Symbol: Baylor Bear Mascot Nickname Explained"
1. Jessica - 2 stars
I was really disappointed with the nickname chosen for the Baylor Bear mascot. "Nickname for baylor bear mascot" just doesn't have a catchy or creative ring to it. The university missed an opportunity to come up with something that truly represents the spirit and energy of the school. I was expecting a name that would evoke a sense of pride and excitement, but this nickname falls flat. I hope they reconsider and come up with something more inspiring in the future.
2. Mark - 1 star
I can't believe they settled on "Nickname for baylor bear mascot" for the Baylor Bear. It's so generic and unimaginative. It feels like they didn't put any thought or effort into choosing a nickname that would help create a strong identity for the mascot. I was expecting something more unique and memorable. This nickname just doesn't do justice to the Baylor Bear and the spirit of the university. I hope they reconsider and choose something that truly captures the essence of Baylor.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I found the choice of "Nickname for baylor bear mascot" for the Baylor Bear mascot quite underwhelming. It lacks creativity and fails to resonate with the spirit of the university. I was hoping for a nickname that would ignite a sense of pride and unity among the Baylor community, but this one falls short. I think they could have done better by selecting a name that reflects the school's values, history, or mascot's characteristics. It's a missed opportunity for sure, and I hope they reconsider and come up with a more meaningful nickname.
4. Robert - 1 star
"Nickname for baylor bear mascot" is such a disappointing choice for the Baylor Bear mascot's nickname. It lacks the excitement and uniqueness that a university of Baylor's caliber deserves. I was expecting something that would bring the mascot to life and create a sense of connection with the students and alumni. This nickname, however, fails to accomplish that. It's plain and forgettable. Baylor missed a chance to create a truly memorable and iconic nickname for their beloved mascot. I really hope they reconsider and choose something more fitting and inspiring.