Bevo’s the Name: Debunking the Aggie Myth [Proof]

By Jordan Schraeder in 40 Acres, May | June 2013 on April 30, 2013 at 2:14 pm | 15 Comments

In honor of our centennial, we’ve dug deep into a century’s worth of Alcalde issues to bring you a fascinating look at how the Forty Acres has changed over the years.

1916

Sorry, Aggies. It may be campus lore that Bevo got his name from A&M pranksters branding “13-0” into his hide on Feb. 12, 1917, but that isn’t the case. How do we know? Because we named Bevo—in 1916.

In the December 1916 issue of the Alcalde, editor Ben Dyer recounted UT’s Thanksgiving football match-up against A&M. At halftime, a group of Texas Exes presented a frightened Longhorn steer to the student body.  In his account of the day’s events, Dyer wrote simply: “His name is Bevo. Long may he reign!”

It’s unclear where Dyer got the name. Common theories include borrowing the name from a popular non-alcoholic Anheuser-Busch beer of the time, or drawing from the word “beeve”—the plural of beef and a slang term for a cow or steer that’s set to become food.  Regardless of its origins, it’s safe to say the name Bevo is all Longhorn.

Still don’t believe us? Read the article from the December 1916 Alcalde below. (Scroll to the last page to see editor Ben Dyer’s proclamation.)

The Alcalde – December 1916 by The Texas Exes

Tags: a&m, aggies, Ben Dyer, bevo