The Early Ivy League Era
In 1950 Brown had two mascots. The first Bruno XI was the largest cub in history and was quickly replaced by a “smaller, tamer, more docile” version. Two weeks later Bruno XI died at the University of Pennsylvania Vet School, where he had been staying for the weekend. The cause of Bruno’s sudden demise was a pulmonary infection, which perhaps had been exacerbated by the frigid temperature at Franklin Field. The following week the Brown Key urged “all spirited Brown men to wear black armbands.” The ubiquitous Dave Zucconi ’55 is pictured cajoling Bruno XV into the baggage compartment prior to the football team’s 1954 flight to Lehigh. Personal accounts of the flight reveal that somehow Zucconi ended up sitting next to Bruno. When the bear became airsick his lunch was deposited on his seatmate’s lap, proving that no good deed goes unpunished. The on-field Bears prevailed over the Engineers 34-6, with Zucconi scoring one of Brown’s touchdowns.
On Homecoming Day 1955 Brown defeated old rival Dartmouth 7-0, securing Coach Alva Kelley’s fourth consecutive homecoming victory. Bruno XVI, also known as “Babe,” poses with the Homecoming Queen and Brown Key members. The 1955 season marked the fiftieth anniversary of the appearance of Helen at the 1905 Dartmouth game, as well as Brown Field’s 25th anniversary. In the presidential election year of 1956, these “Ike” supporters from Pembroke posed with Bruno XVII, perhaps in an attempt to gain support for their candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower who was seeking reelection. Brown Key members reported that Bruno was uncommitted, preferring not to align with an elephant or a donkey. Perhaps after being combed by one of the Pembrokers, the bear became a Republican. The 1960 costumed bear enjoys an Awful Awful at an East Side “milking hole.” The mascot, a hockey player, lost his secret identity when three Yale band members beheaded him. According to Bruno, he “managed to get in a few licks before being banished” from the Yale Bowl.
In the mid-1960’s interest in live bear mascots was waning. In 1967 with no bear in sight, M. Charles Bakst ’66 and his wife Elizabeth ’67 stepped forward. The Bakst’s were friends of Athletic Director Dick Theibert and with his approval, “took on the assignment of locating a bear.” After contacting several state and national parks, one finally came through. The cost was $75 and the couple paid $37.51 which gave them naming rights. Charlie named the animal Liz Bear in honor of his wife. Liz Bear was Brown’s final live bear mascot and resided at the Roger Williams Park Zoo.
