Centennial Jay


Centennial Jay, or C Jay for short, was one of the costume mascots of the University of Kansas. He with fellow mascot Big Jay and Baby Jay are Jayhawks. C Jay was created by student cartoonist Henry Maloy and featured in the University Daily Kansan in 1912. Maloy's depiction of the Jayhawk helped answer the question of what the mythical bird would look like. When asked why he gave the bird shoes Maloy responded, "Why? For kicking opponents, of course." C Jay was reintroduced as a full-sized mascot on February 25, 2012 in the final Border War against Missouri to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Jayhawk. C Jay was retired early in 2013 and is displayed at the Kansas Memorial Student Union.