Thursday, May 15 2008 @ 10:47 AM PDT
Contributed by: oski
Views: 2,787
Oski. He cavorts along Memorial Stadium sidelines. He hugs kids on Cal Day. He drinks through a straw in his eyehole, a gross but mesmerizing trick. This fall, Berkeley's lovable bear mascot turns 65, with no signs of stopping. Which means, for over six decades, a parade of undergraduates have sweated it out under a stuffy bear head, wool sweater and size-15 tennis shoes. Moreover, they're under a super-duper, heavy-duty, triple-strength oath to keep it a secret from everyone forever and ever. It's enough to make you wonder, as your attention drifts between plays at a Cal football game, what is Oski all about? How did the goofy grin, high-stepping gait, clasped hands and rumors of permanent intoxication become a Cal institution?