Today, our University celebrated its 154th birthday. Benji the Bengal, donning a big, beautiful birthday hat, was out in the Student Union with staff to give out cupcakes and take pictures with students. But even though the school turned 154 this year, Benji has only been around for a fraction of that time.

Given that Benji is a bengal tiger and can’t answer interview questions, I took it upon myself to uncover the details for this story.

Buffalo State University was founded in 1871 as Buffalo Normal School, with the purpose of training teachers for the rapidly growing population of students in public schools. In 1928, the name of the school was changed to the State Teachers College at Buffalo, and was accredited by the American Association of Teachers Colleges. The name changed to the New York State College for Teachers at Buffalo in 1946, and the school received a $1 million state allotment to build up the campus including adding a library, gym, science building, and industrial arts building. In 1948, the State University of New York was formed. This is reflected in the name change in 1951, with the school becoming The State University College at Buffalo.

However, it didn’t have any official mascot until 1969. The campus held a contest to establish the school mascot, which was announced during halftime at a basketball game, along with a brand-new logo (which was designed by a student named Susan Salazar and was kept for over 30 years). Though the players started the game nameless, they ended it as the fierce and victorious Bengals.

Seriously, victorious. That game, the Bengals annihilated the University of Toronto 94-59 with a full crowd of spectators cheering them on.

Still, the Bengal was yet to have a name until 2013, when another contest was held and decided Benji was to be the honorable name of the great school mascot.

There is still great mystery, though, in regard to the origins of the distinct orange and black colors of the school. There is no archival record of the colors until 31 years after the school’s founding, in a 1902 issue of the Buffalo Courier. While there are some theories about where the colors originated, there is no definite answer.

However, students, staff, and alumni all still take great pride in the bright orange and black and the amazing Benji the Bengal, and are surely excited to celebrate 154 years of this great school.

Happy Birthday, Buffalo State!