List of college nickname changes in the United States

In the United States, most universities and colleges that sponsor athletics programs have adopted an official nickname for its associated teams. Often, these nicknames have changed for any number of reasons, which might include a change in the name of the school itself, a term becoming dated or otherwise changing meaning, or changes in racial perceptions and sensitivities. In the case of the latter, many schools have recently deprecated nicknames that some might consider offensive to American Indians, a group that has been a traditional inspiration for athletic teams.

Changes

Changes of women's team nicknames only

  • Colorado Buffaloes — Women's teams were the "Lady Buffs" until 1993, when the school announced it would adopt the men's nickname for all teams.
  • Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds — Women's teams were the "Zias" from the establishment of women's sports at the school in the 1970s until 2015, when the school announced it would adopt the men's nickname for all teams.
  • Kentucky Wildcats — Women's teams, except for gymnastics, were the "Lady Kats" until 1995, when the school announced it would adopt the men's nickname for all teams. The gymnastics team continued to use its historic nickname of "Gym Kats" for a number of years before abandoning it in favor of Wildcats.
  • New Mexico State Aggies — Women's athletic teams were known as the "Roadrunners" until 2000, following a vote by female athletes to adopt the same nickname as the men's teams.[90]
  • Tennessee Volunteers — In November 2014, the university announced that after the 2014–15 school year, only women's basketball would retain the Lady Volunteers nickname. At that time, all other women's teams became simply Volunteers.[91] This change was reversed during the 2017–18 school year, with all women's teams once again allowed to use "Lady Volunteers" if they so wish.
  • Washburn Ichabods — Women's teams were known as "Lady Blues" until 2013, when the school announced that women's teams would adopt the men's nickname.
  • Western Illinois Leathernecks —Women's teams were known as "Westerwinds" until 2009, when they adopted the men's nickname of Leathernecks.
  • A number of schools historically used the "Lady" prefix for all women's teams, but now have a policy of using "Lady" only in sports that have both men's and women's teams. Schools that have this policy include:

As a result of a school name change or merger

  • Binghamton Bearcats - Before adopting its current nickname in 2000, the school now legally known as the State University of New York at Binghamton and branded since 1992 as Binghamton University changed its nickname twice, each time corresponding with a change in the school's name:
    • Originally, the school was a satellite of Syracuse University known as Triple Cities College, and had no nickname. When it became independent from Syracuse in 1950, it adopted the name of Harpur College and the nickname "Donkeys".
    • When Harpur joined the State University of New York system in 1965 and adopted its current legal name, the school nickname changed to "Colonials".
  • Case Western Reserve Spartans - Before the schools merged, Case Institute of Technology used the nicknames of the "Scientists" (1918–1938) and the "Rough Riders (1930–1971). Western Reserve was known as the "Pioneers" (1921–1928) and the "Red Cats" (1928–1971).[92] While the schools merged in 1967, the undergraduate student bodies (and athletic departments) were separate until 1971, and during the transition, Western Reserve used the athletic identity of its undergraduate arm, Adelbert College.
  • Cleveland State Vikings - Fenn College used the nickname of the "Foxes" until the school was renamed in 1965.
  • Coastal Carolina Chanticleers - When Coastal was founded in 1954 as a junior college, the school's nickname was "Trojans". It adopted its current nickname shortly after becoming a part of the University of South Carolina in 1960, due to a desire for a nickname more compatible with the "Gamecocks" of its parent. The nickname remained even after Coastal became an independent institution in 1993.
  • Colorado State Rams - Colorado A&M used the nickname of the "Aggies".[93]
  • Connecticut Huskies - Connecticut Agricultural College used the nickname "Aggies". The school was renamed Connecticut State College in 1933,[94] and the following year, the "Huskies" nickname was adopted.
  • Maryland Terrapins - Maryland Agricultural College used the nickname of the "Aggies" and the "Farmers". The school was renamed Maryland State College in 1916 and the University of Maryland in 1920.
  • Michigan State Spartans - Michigan Agricultural College used the nickname of the "Aggies" alongside unofficial nicknames of the "Fighting Farmers" and "Farmers" until 1925.[48]
  • Milwaukee Panthers - The institution through which the current University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee traces its history, originally the Wisconsin State Normal School and after several name changes Wisconsin State College–Milwaukee, used "Green Gulls" as its nickname until 1956. At that time, it merged with the University of Wisconsin's graduate extension campus in Milwaukee to form UW–Milwaukee, with the nickname changing to "Cardinals".
  • Mississippi State Bulldogs - Mississippi A&M changed its nickname from the "Aggies" to the "Maroons" when the school was renamed Mississippi State College in 1932. In 1961, the school was renamed Mississippi State University and the nickname was changed to the "Bulldogs".[50]
  • NC State Wolfpack - North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (North Carolina A&M) was known as the "Aggies" or "Farmers". The school changed its name to the current North Carolina State University in 1917.[95]
  • North Georgia Nighthawks - In January 2013, North Georgia College & State University, nicknamed "Saints" and "Lady Saints", was merged with Gainesville State College, a two-year technical school with no athletic program, to create the University of North Georgia. The new school adopted the nickname of "Nighthawks" for all teams.
  • UMass Lowell River Hawks - The University of Lowell, itself the product of a 1971 merger between Lowell State College and the Lowell Technological Institute, used "Chiefs" as its nickname before it was absorbed into the University of Massachusetts system in 1991.
  • UTRGV Vaqueros - In November 2014, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, which began full operation in July 2015 with the merger of the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) and University of Texas at Brownsville, announced that the nickname of the new school would be Vaqueros. The pre-merger UTPA Broncs became the UTRGV athletic program after the merger.[96]

See also

References

  1. "Athletics History & Traditions". University of Akron. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  2. ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 74, New York: ESPN Books, 2005, ISBN 1-4013-3703-1.
  3. Origin story: How UAH got its nickname and colors, University of Alabama Huntsville, August 1, 2014.,
  4. Nanooks Quick Facts, University of Alaska Fairbanks, September 1, 2009.
  5. Alvernia University Announces New University Nickname
  6. Amherst College Drops ‘Lord Jeff’ as Mascot
  7. Amherst College Makes Mammoth Mascot Announcement
  8. "Let's Call Them Sun Devils". The Official Athletics Site of Arizona State University. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  9. ESPN, p. 96.
  10. "Arizona State University Football". Tempe History Museum. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  11. ESPN, p. 105.
  12. ESPN, p. 114.
  13. 1 2 Mull, Brian (October 28, 2016). "A closer look at nine of the most unique nicknames in college sports". NCAA.com. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  14. ESPN, p. 120.
  15. ESPN, p. 138.
  16. ESPN, p. 168.
  17. ESPN, p. 1038.
  18. Gordon M. Morton III, Brown University Athletics: From the Bruins to the Bears, p. 21, Arcadia Publishing, 2003, ISBN 0-7385-1252-4.
  19. 'Baby Bruins' are grown and need their own name, Providence Journal, April 13, 1995.
  20. ESPN, 184.
  21. "History of Cal State L.A." Trustees of the California State University. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  22. "University Archives: Team Colors, Mascots, Names". Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  23. ESPN, 202.
  24. Lions to take on CMU, The Daily Collegian, September 16, 2005.
  25. ESPN, p. 229.
  26. The Birth of the ThunderWolf, Colorado State University at Pueblo, retrieved June 28, 2009.
  27. ESPN, p. 246.
  28. "Bulldogs out, Phoenix in as Cumberland sports nickname". tennessean.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  29. ESPN, p. 258.
  30. ESPN, p. 265.
  31. ESPN, p. 287.
  32. "Paladin Origins". Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  33. Georgia Tech Traditions, Georgia Institute of Technology, retrieved August 15, 2010.
  34. ESPN, p. 326.
  35. Stories swirl around about Mascots, Ithaca College, December 7, 2000.
  36. ESPN, p. 373.
  37. , Johnson University, October 18, 2013.
  38. ESPN, p. 393.
  39. ESPN, p. 402.
  40. Keuka College to change 'Wolfpack' nickname after legal pressure from N.C. State
  41. ESPN, p. 436.
  42. Why Ramblers? Archived 2011-07-29 at the Wayback Machine., Loyola University Chicago, retrieved August 14, 2011.
  43. ESPN, p. 458.
  44. Testudo: Tale of the Top Shell Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine., University of Maryland, retrieved August 20, 2011.
  45. Reveille, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1928, p. 182, 1928.
  46. Rick Snider, Ill will lingers at Navy, Maryland; Rivalry to restart in Crab Bowl, The Washington Times, p. 1, August 29, 2005.
  47. Nickname History, Miami University, retrieved June 28, 2009.
  48. 1 2 ESPN, p. 509.
  49. ESPN, p. 518.
  50. 1 2 ESPN, p. 542.
  51. ESPN, p. 578.
  52. Newberry 'Wolves' to go on the prowl; College settles on nickname to replace ‘Indians’ Archived 2010-07-15 at the Wayback Machine., The State, June 8, 2010.
  53. ESPN, p. 606.
  54. Those fighting Sioux nickname lose sight of most Indian views, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 13, 2006.
  55. Coleman, Rufus. "How Our Green Got Mean". The North Texan. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  56. Ehsan, Azad (September 5, 2013). "Looking back at a century of Mean Green". North Texas Daily. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  57. ESPN, p. 622.
  58. ESPN, p. 628.
  59. ESPN, p. 638.
  60. ESPN, p. 648.
  61. ESPN, p. 668.
  62. ESPN, p. 678.
  63. Ole Miss Mascot a New Confederate Casualty, The Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2003.
  64. ESPN, p. 686.
  65. "Team mascot never ducked controversy, historical record shows". The Register-Guard. September 3, 1995. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  66. ESPN, p. 694.
  67. "What Is A Blue Hose?". Presbyterian College Athletics. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  68. The University of Richmond Spiders Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. University of Richmond, retrieved June 28, 2009.
  69. ESPN, p. 740.
  70. ESPN, p. 750.
  71. http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/general/2001-02/releases/072601aaa.html
  72. https://www.scu.edu/aboutscu/history/
  73. ESPN, p. 784.
  74. ESPN, p. 798.
  75. "Saluki Mascot". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  76. Woodall, Candy (April 2, 2016). "Susquehanna University reveals new mascot". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  77. ESPN, p. 806.
  78. "Stony Brooks Traditions". Stony Brook University. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  79. ESPN, p. 870.
  80. ESPN, p. 878.
  81. ESPN, p. 886.
  82. ESPN, p. 890.
  83. ESPN, p. 898.
  84. ESPN, p. 910.
  85. "Nickname "Gauchos"". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  86. Slug 'em, Slugs! College students OK new mascot, The Milwaukee Journal, May 10, 1986.
  87. ESPN, p. 788.
  88. Lya Wodraska. "Utah athletics: Drum and feather logo may not last". National Indian Education Association. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  89. "The Origin of "Huskies"". GoHuskies.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  90. ESPN, p. 590.
  91. "One Tennessee: Branding Restructure" (Press release). University of Tennessee Athletics. November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  92. Team Colors, Mascots, Names, Case Western Reserve University, retrieved June 28, 2009.
  93. ESPN, 238.
  94. Yesteryear Archives: Connecticut Agricultural to UConn Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine., University of Connecticut, retrieved August 9, 2010.
  95. NC State History, Chancellor's Installation, North Carolina State University, retrieved May 30, 2010.
  96. Brito, Victoria (November 5, 2014). "UT-RGV mascot recommended to be the Vaquero". The Monitor. McAllen, Texas. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.