http://www.uwbadgers.com/
http://www.wisc.edu/

Wisconsin's loveable mascot, Bucky Badger, has always ranked high in fan appeal and enthusiasm. Although badgers in various forms had been the University of Wisconsin mascot for decades, the version that is currently known as Bucky, sporting a cardinal and white sweater, was first drawn in 1940 by professional illustrator Art Evans of Garden Grove, Calif. In 1949, a student first wore a badger outfit with a papier-máchê head at the homecoming game and the mascot came to life.

The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. designated Bucky's birthday to be October 2. According to the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Bucky's likeness earned a copyright on October 2, 1940. Though most badgers are born in the spring, this one became officially recognized on October 2.

The nickname "Badgers," was borrowed from the state of Wisconsin, which was dubbed the "Badger State." The name didn't come from the animals in the region, but rather from an association with lead miners in the 1820s. Without shelter in the winter, the miners had to "live like Badgers" in tunnels burrowed into hillsides.

The badger started as the official UW mascot with the inception of intercollegiate football in 1889. The original badger mascot was too vicious to control. On more than one occasion, the live badger escaped handlers before a sideline hero recaptured the animal with a flying tackle. It was decided in the interest of fan and player safety that Wisconsin's mascot be retired to the Madison Zoo. The Badger Yearbook replaced the live badger with a small raccoon named Regdab (badger backwards) and passed it off as a "badger in a raccoon coat."

Sports.  It's what we've done since 1975.

Follow us on Twitter! @LearfieldLive and @Learfield

For Learfield's Highlights Usage Policy please visit: http://learfieldsports.com/contact-us/media-inquiries/ 

jdahms11 is following