Bronchos with an "H"

One of the Bayless distinctives is the "Broncho" spelling. It is still pronounced "Bronco" (Like the Denver Broncos) but with an "H." This spelling dates back several decades.

When Bayless High School was established in 1931, the Bayless Athletic Club settled on the "Bronco" for its mascot. This was the spelling for all of Bayless until some point during the 1950s. During that decade, two things happened. As the story goes, a local sportswriter preferred the "h" spelling and frequently referred to the Bayless basketball teams as "Bronchos." At the same time, something (likely an order of shirts) was misprinted, and the eighth letter of the alphabet was added to create "Broncho." The blossoming post-war community embraced the new spelling, and it has stuck.

The CH way of spelling the word is an older spelling used during the American West's development and appears in dictionaries dating back to the mid-1800s. It remained popular through the 1920s. The spelling is used at schools across America, including the University of Central Oklahoma and several other high schools.

This is just one of the ways Bayless holds onto its storied past while proudly looking to the future.