“The blue jay is a North American bird, bright blue in color, with white undercovering and a black neck ring. It is strong, aggressive and inquisitive,” said team chairman R. Howard Webster after the club selected the name from more than 10,000 entries in a contest that ran in Toronto newspapers.
“It dares to take on all comers, yet it is down-to-earth, gutsy and good-looking.” The team, which joined the American League in 1977, adopted red, white, and blue colors and incorporated them along with the use of the Canadian maple leaf.
