Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert has officially declared October 10, 2013 as the Utah Jazz Bear 20th Anniversary Day in a declaration issued and presented to the Jazz Bear at the State Capitol today.

An excerpt from the declaration states, “the State of Utah wishes to congratulate the Utah Jazz Bear on his 20th anniversary and commend his invaluable contributions to improving our residents’ quality of life.”

This is the third time that Bear has been honored by the state of Utah, having been granted a “Jazz Bear Day” in honor of his 10th birthday on June 9, 2004, and again on August 15, 2006, to commemorate his induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame.

NBA.com, Oct. 10, 2013