Joe Bruin

Joe & Josephine Bruin.
Josephine and Joe Bruin in Pauley Pavilion
University	University of California, Los Angeles
Conference	Pac-12
Description	Anthropomorphic Brown bear
First seen	1924

Joe Bruin is the official mascot of UCLA and is often found with Josephine (Josie) Bruin, a female brown bear. He is a visible and constant on-field presence at UCLA sporting events.

Joe Bruin was created for the UCLA sports team in 1924. In 1924, students chose a more threatening name grizzly bear. In 1926 the name was changed to the "Bruins" and UC Berkeley called its mascot the Bears. UCLA used live bears as mascots, which entertained the home crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The bears were given various names, but "Joe Bruin" endured over time. Costumed student mascots have represented Joe Bruin since the mid-1960s. The design for the costume bear changed again in 1996 from a smiling bruin to the current one.

Joe Bruin has been on the final team for the Capital One Bowl National Mascot of the Year team four times: 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010. The contest began in 2002.