Today’s cardinal-and-white-clad Bucky — full name Buckingham U. Badger — has come a long way from the first Badgers mascot, a live badger who made occasional appearances at football games.

Buckingham Ulysses Badger — more commonly known as Bucky Badger or just Bucky to University of Wisconsin students and alumni — has been a part of Wisconsin culture since the early to mid-20th century.

The evolution of Bucky dates back to 1890s. In an effort to incite enthusiasm among gridiron spectators, the University of Wisconsin football team introduced a very furry, very alive and very uncaged ...