BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 13, 2022
According to UMaine lore, the first mascot was a baby bear dubbed Jeff. The bear made his debut at a UMaine vs. Colby football game in November 1912. The next year, however, UMaine was prepared to try a different mascot out. A moose, found as a baby without its mother somewhere in the woods of Washington County, was trotted out in September 1913, and was named Napoleon. Napoleon, however, was quickly abandoned in favor of the return of Jeff the following year. Around 1915, Jeff was renamed Bananas, due to the fact that the crowd at UMaine football games went “bananas” when he took the field. Throughout the 1920s, multiple live bears served as Bananas. In 1966, the state legislature outlawed the usage of live animals as mascots. In 1969, UMaine debuted its first costumed mascot — a papier-mache head and bear paws, worn over a simple pair of pants and sweater.