BYU Celebrates 150 Years of History and Tradition
Brigham Young University (BYU) marks its 150th anniversary this Thursday, celebrating a century and a half since its founding on October 16, 1875, when the deed of trust established Brigham Young Academy. The first classes began in January 1876 with 70 students and a faculty often paid in produce such as turnips and molasses. Today, BYU serves over 35,000 students with nearly 2,000 faculty members.
The university is celebrating with a yearlong series of events, displays, and decorations across campus, including a “150” plant arrangement south of the administration building. The centerpiece of the celebration is a historical exhibit, “By Study and by Faith: 150 Years of Brigham Young University,” located on the bottom floor of the Harold B. Lee Library. Created by archivists Gordon Daines and Cory Nimer, the exhibit took five years to develop and highlights major milestones from BYU’s evolution.
The timeline traces BYU’s transformation from Brigham Young Academy to a major university. The name officially changed to Brigham Young University in 1903, and accreditation followed in 1928, marking its recognition as a full university. BYU’s first centralized library appeared in 1925, and the College of Religious Education was founded in 1930.
Sports became part of BYU’s identity early on, with baseball introduced in 1891, football in 1896, and basketball in 1903. The famous “Y” was placed on the mountain in 1906, and the university adopted “Cougars” as its mascot in 1923. Two live cougars, Cleo and Tarbo, briefly represented the school before being replaced by Cosmo the Cougar in 1953.
The BYU honor code, a hallmark of campus life, was established in 1948–49. As archivist Daines puts it with a smile, this 150th anniversary exhibit shows “how archivists party” — by celebrating the legacy and progress of an enduring institution.
