Baby Jay

Baby Jay
University	University of Kansas
Conference	Big 12
Description	Baby jayhawk
First seen	1971
Related mascot(s)	Big Jay, Centennial Jay

Baby Jay is one of the mascots of the University of Kansas's sports teams. Baby and best friend Big Jay are Jayhawks. Baby Jay was created by student Amy Sue Hurst and "hatched" at half-time of KU's Homecoming victory in football over Kansas State University on October 9, 1971, and has served as a mascot ever since.[1]

History

In 1970 Amy Hurst saw a Jayhawk bumper sticker depicting Big Jay and hatchlings, which inspired her to create a new mascot.[2] After talking to a co-worker who was a Big Jay and getting approval from the KU Alumni Association she created Baby Jay.[3][4]

The official debut of Baby Jay was October 9, 1971 during the half-time of KU's homecoming game against in-state rivals Kansas State University. In front of 55,000 fans Big Jay hauled a large egg to the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium. A few moments later Baby Jay "hatched" from the artificial egg and has served as an ambassador of KU at events across the country ever since.[5]

The original costume weighed 30 pounds,[3] consisted of chicken wire, fiberglass, and felt. The total cost was $53.[2] In 2003, Amy Hurst, the original Baby Jay, started a fund to help cover the cost of the now $5,000 costume that is replaced every two years.[6]

Selection process

The selection process to become Baby Jay is generally during the spring semester. Baby jay is typically a female student and must be between 4' 11" and 5' 1" tall.[7] The auditioning process may also include 20 minutes of running, performing an entrance and exit routine, emotion and reaction exercises.[4] The student applicant must create an original skit when trying out to be the mascot. The student must also meet several physical conditions. To apply you must turn in a packet of information that you must get from either the mascot coach or spirit squad director. This includes a video, a physical and student information.

Duties

The primary duty of Baby Jay is to be an ambassador of KU, roaming the sidelines at football and basketball games giving hugs to youngsters.[8] Baby Jay, being smaller than Big Jay, is often involved in entertaining children. Baby Jay is also present at most major university events such as athletic competitions, Tradition Night, Band Spectacular, and graduation.[9][10][11]

Baby Jay is also seen in the community attending weddings, opening the Godzilla film festival,[12] or even lobbying legislators to fund higher education.[13] In return for these services Baby Jay receives a $300 scholarship per semester.[7]

References

"Take the Jayhawk Walk". Archived from the original (English) on September 2, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Original Baby Jay Now Roosting in Kansas Union" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Fund Helps Support Baby Jay Costume" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Baby Jays to Reunite" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"KU Heritage & Traditions". Archived from the original (English) on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"KU Baby Jay Mascot Creators Establish Fund" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Baby Jay FAQs" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"The Word on the Bird". Archived from the original (English) on 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Traditions Night Stirs Spirit For New Jayhawk Students" (English). Archived from the original on 28 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"BAND SPECTACULAR!". Archived from the original (English) on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Ending Their KU Years With Plenty of Cheers" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Baby Jay to Inflate Godzilla" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
"Hemenway Blasts House Budget Plans". Archived from the original (English) on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

External links

KU Mascots

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Take the Jayhawk Walk". Archived from the original (English) on September 2, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[oread.ku.edu-2] "Original Baby Jay Now Roosting in Kansas Union" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[www2.ljworld.com-3] "Fund Helps Support Baby Jay Costume" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[Baby_Jays_to_Reunite-4] "Baby Jays to Reunite" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[5] "KU Heritage & Traditions". Archived from the original (English) on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[6] "KU Baby Jay Mascot Creators Establish Fund" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[Baby_Jay_FAQs-7] "Baby Jay FAQs" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[8] "The Word on the Bird". Archived from the original (English) on 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[9] "Traditions Night Stirs Spirit For New Jayhawk Students" (English). Archived from the original on 28 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[10] "BAND SPECTACULAR!". Archived from the original (English) on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[11] "Ending Their KU Years With Plenty of Cheers" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[12] "Baby Jay to Inflate Godzilla" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[13] "Hemenway Blasts House Budget Plans". Archived from the original (English) on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

Kansas Jayhawks football
Venues	McCook Field (1892–1920) David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (1921–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Kansas State: Sunflower Showdown (Governor's Cup) Missouri: Border War Nebraska
Culture & lore	Big Jay Baby Jay "I'm a Jayhawk" Marching Jayhawks Aggieville riots Timeline of football in Kansas First game in Kansas 1911 Missouri game
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
Venues	Robinson Gymnasium (1907–1927) Hoch Auditorium (1927–1955) Allen Fieldhouse (1955–present)
Rivalries	Kansas State (results) Missouri
Culture & lore	Big Jay Baby Jay Champions Classic "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" Jayhawkers
People	Head coaches Jayhawks of note
Seasons	1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21
Helms and NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics