History of Regal the Golden Eagle

John Brown University’s mascot has evolved significantly since its initial hatching. Today, fans know him as Regal the Golden Eagle, but JBU’s mascot has undergone a transformative journey over the past 60 years.

In the fall of 1965, JBU’s mascot made its first unofficial appearance, thanks to the creativity of Janet Dobbs Given ’68, a home economics student. “I was a big fan of our basketball team and started noticing that several schools that came to JBU had mascots,” Given recalled. “I started thinking we should have one too.”

With no budget for a mascot, Given crafted the eagle’s head from chicken wire and paper-mâché in a dormitory kitchen with friends. The simple costume, featuring a female eagle headpiece paired with a plain dress, lasted only during Given’s time at JBU. However, it rallied school spirit and played a part in a successful basketball season that culminated in the 1965 playoffs.

Though Given left behind the costume, hoping the mascot’s momentum would continue, no one took up the task—until the Toilet Paper Game of 1991. This event marked the official debut of the mascot nearly 30 years later.

Arkansas State Representative Robin Lundstrum, then an instructor of health promotion and human performance, recognized JBU’s need for a mascot. Reflecting on the absence, she recalled, “You’d go to the games, and it was just like, wait a second—the University of Arkansas had a mascot. The Bulldogs, where I went to high school, had one too ... so I wanted my JBU babies to have everything that every other school had. And why not?”

Due to the high cost of mascot costumes in catalogs—and the fact that many bird costumes resembled chickens more than eagles—Lundstrum and her mother created the mascot costume by hand. Named "Conan the Eagle," the mascot wore a Golden Eagles basketball sweatshirt, a baseball cap, and a towering, white-feathered headpiece. The costume featured bulging eyes, and a tongue hanging from its beak.

A decade later, Conan the Eagle received a $1,000 makeover. The new costume included a fully feathered blue-and-white design, with more realistic and balanced features on the headpiece. To complete the transformation, the mascot was renamed “Regal the Golden Eagle,” the name still used today.

JBU has traditionally kept the identity of the student portraying the mascot a secret. To maintain the mystery, this story refers to student mascots by their years of service as Regal.

Regal 1998-2002, who served as the mascot throughout his undergraduate career, experienced this physical transformation firsthand. In an issue of The Threefold Advocate, Regal 1998-2002 commented, “The new head was heavier, harder to see out of, but strapped on, it’s padded and looks better than the old one.” Despite the outward changes, Regal remained the same at heart—embodying school spirit simply by having fun and loving others. Summing up his time as the mascot, he added, “I loved it. I got to be right in the action, courtside.”

Regal 2004-2008 shared similar sentiments: “Being Regal the Golden Eagle ... was certainly one of the things I enjoyed most about my time at JBU.”

In 2019, during JBU’s Centennial Celebration, the university unveiled a new Regal costume. Up until this point, Regal resembled a bald eagle with white feathers, but the 2019 version more accurately portrayed the brown feathers of a golden eagle.

Regal 2020, who served as the mascot during his graduate studies, shared his favorite memories. He recalled joking around with JBU President Chip Pollard, chasing students with a cardboard cutout of Pollard, and most fondly, interacting with Micah, a young man from Ability Tree who attended every game. “[Micah] absolutely loved Regal, and going and being that for him—saying ‘hi’ and giving him a hug—just made his week. Doing that was awesome,” Regal reminisced.

Regal 2021-2022 shared how the excitement of children was a highlight of his time as mascot. He also enjoyed the unique privilege of being on the court, interacting with referees, and making others laugh while boosting school spirit. His top memory of the fall 2021 season was the reintroduction of the traditional Toilet Paper Game after its cancellation the previous year due to the pandemic.

While generating laughs and enthusiasm at athletic events has always been an essential part of Regal’s role, he has expanded his presence to non-athletic events as well. “There’s a fun energy that Regal can provide,” he explained. In this academic year, Regal began bringing that energy to new venues, such as prospective student preview days, pep rallies in the dining hall, and even the Irish Studies Program promotional event, where he sported an Irish kilt for the occasion.

The evolution of JBU’s mascot runs deep into the university’s history and will continue to play an integral role in the culture both on and off the court. Keep an eye out for Regal the Golden Eagle on the horizon—you never know when or where he’ll swoop in next.