Cosmo Cougar officially joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this weekend. Some readers may be surprised to find out that Cosmo was not already a member, but Cosmo had never indicated either way.
If not previously a member, how did Cosmo Cougar become the mascot for the Church-owned school? Cosmo has a brother, Carlo, who joined the Church and attended BYU. Cosmo started to follow the sports programs and cheered for them alongside his brother. He was also a big fan of the Honor Code. When the job of mascot opened up, Cosmo applied and was far and away the best candidate according to old records.
After many years living in Provo, Cosmo finally began to become curious about spiritual things. Two months ago, Cosmo asked Kevin J. Worthen if he could attend the then-soon-to-be-former-BYU President’s ward before K-Dubs moves to a ranch in North Dakota. The cougar reportedly participated heavily in Sunday School. No one understood what he was saying, but they appreciated the good-hearted intent.
“Heck, I didn’t even know he wasn’t a member. He was stricter than some of our member athletes about the Honor Code,” said BYU football head coach, Kalani Sitake.
Both Worthen and Sitake held missionary lessons in their homes. Due to their close relationships, Cosmo asked them to be part of the baptismal ceremony. Kevin was asked to baptize him, and Kalani was asked to be the main speaker. (Cosmo asked Zach Wilson to speak, but Wilson is reportedly avoiding cougars right now to maintain a certain image.) His brother Carlo Cougar was asked to do the confirmation.
The missionaries who taught Cosmo, Elder Young and Elder Brigham, were overjoyed. “We couldn’t really understand him at first, but were eventually given the gift of tongues and everything was smooth sailing after that.”
Many BYU fans were ecstatic for Cosmo. “He’s in my ward now, so I really hope we get to be ministering companions,” said Joohn McCoss.
Others were less enthused. “I can’t believe we held up Cosmo as a role model for our kids. Obviously it’s good that he’s a member now, but I’m so disappointed in Cosmo for previously misleading us,” said Dave Michaelson. A spokesman for Cosmo said, “That’s dumb. He’s been living the Honor Code for over 50 years. This was really just a formality.”