A statue on Baylor’s campus wakes up one morning with a bright pink nose. Nobody claims it. And nobody has to — everyone already knows. The NoZe brothers at Baylor University have certainly developed a brand for themselves — one based completely on silliness and utter nonsense.
The NoZe Brothers, originally Noze Brothers, date back to 1925. The organization was established as a counter to the Baylor Chamber of Commerce, which the NoZe saw as far too serious and snooty. They named themselves after the first organization president’s particularly large nose. It was Baylor’s first official campus social club, so they quickly grew in number and influence.
The club members had one goal: to use satire to put Baylor’s shortcomings on full display. And they did a rather outstanding job. They painted the bridge over Waco Creek pink and blue. They rolled a headless, papier-mâché John the Baptist through the homecoming parade. They circled the Quad’s Christmas tree to mock the Wall of Jericho. And on any given Tuesday, it’s not out of the ordinary to find a statue with a fresh coat of pink on its nose.
The NoZe brothers have been getting on the nerves of Baylor administration practically since their founding. The Waco Creek skirmish escalated to the brotherhood’s first expulsion for publishing curse words in its satirical magazine, The Rope. When they returned to campus they decided that if they wanted to continue their shenanigans, they had to go underground. They started disguising themselves in costumes and fake noses, keeping their identities a secret and coining the chaotic appearance NoZe are spotted sporting today.
A century later, there have been many close calls and brushes with trouble, the noses are still bright pink, and the Baylor community doesn’t quite know what to expect from the NoZe brothers.
Read more: I Was a Teenage NoZe Brother
