Full Name: Boko the Bobcat
Nickname: Boko
Birthplace: San Marcos, Texas
Birth Date: 1921
Height: Between 5'11 or 8'3. It depends on what Boko is standing on.
GPA: 4.0
Major: Student Involvement
Super Skills: Crowd surfing, dancing, walking on two paws, leading the fans in chants and cheers, etc.
Favorite Food: BBQ
Favorite Song: Deep in the Heart of Texas or All I Do is Win
Hobbies: Watching Bobcat sports, tubing and walking around campus
Pet Peeves: Roadrunners
Favorite Quote: "A bobcat will fight you with everything he has - four claws, teeth, speed and brains." - Athletic Director Oscar Strahan (1919)
The Evolution of the Bobcat (by Eloise Martin)
Before there were the Bobcats, there were the Gypsies, the Nymphs, the Topsies, the Sprites, the Wonders and the Goblins. Without an official mascot, teams at Southwest Texas Normal School were left with the task of choosing a name for each individual team.
The college had no athletic nickname or mascot in 1919, when athletic director Oscar Strahan arrived. Soon after his arrival, The Normal Star began a campaign to adopt a mascot in an attempt to "raise school spirit."
Shortly after Strahan's arrival a committee was formed by the student council and was headed up by C. Spurgeon Smith, biology department head to come up with a mascot for the school. Smith's personal choice was the bobcat because of its residency in Central Texas and its ability to fight with great courage.
The committee accepted Smith's suggestion, and the bobcat mascot was chosen as the official nickname to the athletic teams at Southwest Texas Normal School. Strahan accepted the new name given to his athletic teams.
"A Bobcat will fight you with everything he has - four claws, teeth, speed and brains," said Athletic Director Oscar Strahan in 1919. The unique mascot was a source of pride for the students. Texas State was the only college in the country to possess the name for its athletic teams until the late 20's, when Montana State University also adopted the mascot.
In 1964, the Bobcat was given an official name by Beth Greenless, a sophomore from Luling, by beating out approximately 100 other students in a "Name the Bobcat" contest, sponsored by Phi Delta Gamma sorority, now Alpha Xi Delta.
"Boko the First" was officially debuted at the Texas A&I , now Texas A&M-Kingsville, football game. At the time, a live bobcat was used and students were able to view their mascot as he was displayed from a trailer at the game.
Today, "Boko the Bobcat" still remains as the mascot of Texas State University.
