16. Creighton adopted a Bluejay as its mascot in 1924, when the University’s athletic board selected the name from submissions for a contest run by the Omaha Bee newspaper. A realistic Blue Jay was used for many years but was gradually replaced by Billy Bluejay, who made his first appearance in the 1941 yearbook. Billy was developed by Creighton alumnus Joe Murphy, BSC'31, who was serving as Creighton's PR director at the time. Today, there is even a scholarship available for students who serve as the Billy mascot.
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| 17. Creighton’s last football game, a 33-19 loss to Tulsa, occurred on Nov. 21, 1942. The University suspended football for the duration of World War II, but any hope of reviving the program ended in 1946 with Fr. President William H. McCabe’s announcement that Creighton would no longer field an intercollegiate football team. For more on today's Creighton athletics, visit gocreighton.com. |
18. Although not officially a part of Creighton, Beal’s Grill was a fixture of campus life from 1939, when Walt Beal opened his restaurant, until 1986, when Howard Fiedler (Walt’s son-in-law) finally closed its doors. Creighton students — mostly males since for many years Walt’s salty language prompted Creighton’s Dean of Women to discourage young ladies from eating at Beal’s — crossed 24th Street for the food and the atmosphere. | 
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| 19. The history of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions (SPAHP) dates back to 1905, with the establishment of the Creighton College of Pharmacy. The school expanded to include other health professions and today, in addition to pharmacy, offers clinical doctorate degrees in occupational therapy (OTD) and physical therapy (DPT), and a bachelor’s degree in emergency medical services (EMS). In 2002, the school changed its name to the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. |
20. The Graduate School was formally established as a separate division of Creighton University in 1926, although the first master’s degree was conferred by the University in 1893. The Graduate School conferred its first Ph.D. in 1971. | 
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