{"id":5,"date":"2017-03-02T14:10:34","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T19:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/brownbearhistory\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2025-03-20T15:23:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T20:23:51","slug":"page-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/brownbearhistory\/page-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Early 1900s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Emergence of the Bear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After T. F. Green\u2019s introduction of the bear, <\/span>students began to embrace the concept. The <\/span>yearbook, Liber Brunensis<\/em> became an important <\/span>platform for bear images. Drawings by student <\/span>artists helped gain visibility for the bear symbol <\/span>in the absence of live bear mascots.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1905 the Celebration Committee voted to <\/span>have a live bear at the Dartmouth football game. <\/span>Douglas Swaffield \u201906 contracted with Roger Williams Park for a bear named Dinks. On <\/span>game day Dinks refused to leave his cage, but <\/span>his mate Helen stepped forward to save the day. <\/span>Helen received a standing ovation as she entered <\/span>Hampton Park on November 27.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown football reached new heights in 1916. On <\/span>New Year\u2019s Day the <\/span>1915 team played in the First <\/span>Annual Tournament of Roses game in Pasadena. <\/span>The live bear <\/span>rented for the <\/span>occasion was too large to fit in the back seat of <\/span>the touring car, much to the disappointment <\/span>of the Brown fans in attendance. In the <\/span>1916 <\/b>regular season the team won eight of nine games, <\/span>defeating Yale and Harvard in consecutive weeks. Led by All-American Frederick D. \u201cFritz\u201d <\/span>Pollard \u201919, the Bears achieved their first\u2014 <\/span>ever victory over the Crimson, prompting this <\/span>dramatic cartoon featuring Bruno chasing John <\/span>Harvard out of his stadium.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n