Texas Longhorns Mascot Bevo Has Retired

Bevo XIV, the Longhorn mascot for the University of Texas at Austin, is being put out to pasture. 

The 2,100-pound longhorn was diagnosed with bovine leukemia virus last week, and has been forced to retire. The university announced the decision Tuesday "following a triumph" in last weekend's rivalry football game against the University of Oklahoma.

He'll now go live on a ranch upstate — one northwest of Austin owned by UT-Austin supporters John T. and Betty Baker. 

Bevo is a popular attraction at UT-Austin football games, shows up at university events and even attended the second inauguration of President George W. Bush. 

"Bevo XIV has served the university and the Longhorns family extremely well in his tenure," interim Men's Athletics Director Mike Perrin said in a news release. "We are thrilled he heads into retirement with a victory over Oklahoma as his last game, and look forward to welcoming Bevo XV, who will be the same strong symbol his fourteen predecessors have been since 1916."

The search for a replacement begins immediately, the school said. That process will be led by the Silver Spurs Alumni Association. The Silver Spurs group takes care of Bevo and will looking for an animal with "the same majestic qualities" as its predecessors. The hope is to have a new longhorn in place by the 2016 season. 

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