Skip to content
MyFootballToolbox.comYour Advantage for College Football

THE COLLEGE GAME · 2026

Why is Cincinnati called the Bearcats?

Answers about the college game, its schools and traditions.

20261084 sourced answersCollege basics & school traditions

College player coverage. Explore dated rosters and player details for 266 FBS and FCS programs. Every saved roster entry has a dated summary. Selected profiles include additional official-source background. Coverage varies by school; coaching backgrounds, program history and FAQs are still being expanded. Please check source dates and confirm changes with the schools. Division II, Division III and NAIA directories are not yet included.

← All College FAQs

Faq

Why is Cincinnati called the Bearcats?

The university links the name to a 1914 football cheer about fullback Leonard “Teddy” Baehr during the Kentucky game, followed by a student newspaper cartoon. It is a nickname origin story rather than the date a particular mascot costume was introduced.

Checked 2026-11-01 · Sources: The ascent across two centuries | University of Cincinnati

Explore Cincinnati →

These sourced summaries are prepared with AI assistance and checked against the linked material. They are not independently audited or presented as human-reviewed. Please verify details with the original sources; checked dates are not promises of live updates.