The Jayhawk, the University of Kansas’s legendary and unique mascot, has represented the university for more than one hundred years and is recognizable around the world. In The Jayhawk, Rebecca Ozier Schulte tells the story of the beloved mythical bird’s origins and historical significance, role as mascot, relationship with student life and representation in campus publications, popularity in advertising and as merchandise, and much more. 

Multiple students and artists drew the Jayhawk in the twentieth century, including the long-legged Jayhawk drawn by Daniel Henry “Hank” Maloy in 1912 and the militaristic, fighting Jayhawk of 1941 created by Dr. Eugene “Yogi” Williams. Six different Jayhawks from 1912 to 1946 have been identified by the university as the most historically significant, but there are many, many more that have been discovered in hundreds of pieces of ephemera, newspaper accounts, student scrapbooks, and university publications, all housed in the University Archives.   

No other source brings the Jayhawk’s fascinating history together. This stunning book is highlighted by more than 300 photographs, most of them in color and many of items rarely seen by the public. The Jayhawk is sure to delight fans, alumni, and anyone who’s ever chanted “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!”