The polar bear team name was selected to honor Robert Peary of the class of 1877 who lead the first expedition that reached the North Pole.

[4] The Athletic Department also supports three club sports: rowing, rugby, and ultimate Frisbee.

The Bowdoin College Athletic Department sponsors teams in 14 men's and 16 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.

[7] Mike Connolly is the current head coach of the Bowdoin Polar Bears baseball.

The women's basketball team at Bowdoin College has won nine NESCAC championships, including seven in a row from 2001 to 2007.

[9] Bowdoin College fielded an official varsity football team for the first time in 1899, losing to Tufts 8–4 in its first game.

[10] The Polar Bears' most prominent current football rivals are in-state NESCAC foes Bates and Colby.

Bowdoin has historically shared rivalries with Maine, too, but those games are no longer played annually and have lessened in intensity.

As of 2021[update], Bowdoin and Bates have competed in 123 football games, making it the 10th longest NCAA Division III rivalry.

[20] The list of notable Polar Bear Olympians and Paralympians includes Fred Tootell, Geoffrey Mason, Bernard Lucas, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Jake Adicoff, and Emilie Grand'Pierre.