
Bruin Brawl
It’s perhaps the most baffling of campus traditions. In an instant, the “flash” of a stuffed bear (“Bruin Jr.”) sparks pandemonium. Students collide in a scrum, mud often covering their bodies, in an attempt to grab the Bruin Jr. and be the first to get off campus with it.
It’s called Bruin Brawl, and it’s been going on for more than a century.
In one case, the leather bear was dropped from a helicopter. In another, a university president faked an injury only to reveal Bruin Jr. from an ambulance. The bear once suddenly appeared during chapel, prompting a stampede mid-sermon.
Check out the timeline below to see how Bruin Jr. has made his mark on campus culture over the decades.