Collegiate Athletic Nicknames

[tBBP]

First of all, hello to all on CCSLC. I've been a fan of this site for a LONG TIME and finally became a member a few weeks ago, and now I've got a few posts to my credit.

After searching and bringing this question up once, I decided to jump off a new thread. Has anyone besides me ever thought about how some colleges and universites came up with their nicknames/mascots/colors? Some I can understand (Miami HURIICANES), Florida GATORS, Florida State SEMINOLES, Oklahoma SOONERS, Indiana HOOSIERS), but then some completely throw me off (BOILERMAKERS is one of them, along with DEMON DEACONS, although I'm sure there are good stories behind those).

So, for all who may know the history behind certain schools' nickname/mascots/colors, and for those who WANT to know (like me), this is the place to interface and exchange.

So, with that said...LET THE QUESTIONS AND LESSONS COMMENCE.

[footballfiji]

I recomend this book:

any specific ones you are wondering about?

[tBBP]

Daggone that book has got to be HUGE!!! I many have to go see if B&N has that--if I EVER get an off-day from working at the same place I go to class at. (working at school CAN be a full-time job, sometimes. )

But yeah, two quick ones (aside from Purdue, of course): Maryland, with the terrapin--is that a turtle specific to MD? And then, the North Carolina Tar Heels. I vaguely remember someone telling me a story about that a while ago but can't remember--and I have NO CLUE how the ram came up, or the columbia color.

Whatcha got for me, footballfiji (or anyone else)? I'm a sponge now.

[leopard88]

This link will cover most of the ACC for you (in some level of detail, anyway).

Florida State Times

[JBPerry]

Here's the story of the Sooners:

According to the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS), the term Sooners came into use in 1889, after the Unassigned Lands were settled in what was the first of the land runs. It was a derogatory term, used to describe settlers who entered the Unassigned Lands before President Harrison officially proclaimed them open to settlement until the Indian Appropriation Act of 1889.

These settlers often fiercely defended their unlawful claims (e.g. the U.S. Supreme Court case of Smith v. Townsend 148 U.S. 490 (1893)). The term had negative connotations among the early legal settlers of Oklahoma Territory well into the 20th century.

In 1908, the University of Oklahoma adopted 'Sooners' as the nickname of their football team (after having first tried 'Rough Riders' and 'Boomers'). Within about a decade, the term had mostly lost its association with those who had broken the law and it became what the OHS characterizes as a "badge of pride and progressivism"; eventually (though never officially), the state of Oklahoma became known as "The Sooner State." The term Sooners now primarily refers to the students and alumni, including members of the sports teams, of the University of Oklahoma.

Most of the state of Oklahoma (excluding the Panhandle) was originally Indian Territory. The Five Civilized Tribes originally agreed by treaty to relinquish their tribal lands in the eastern United States in exchange for reserved lands west of the Mississippi River; many Native Americans refused to leave and were removed by force.

After the Civil War, as white settlers demanded more and more land, the Indian Territory was split, with a western part becoming the Oklahoma Territory. The new territory was reserved for white settlement and gradually opened up to pioneers, section by section, throughout the late 19th century.

[DrBear]

A lot of the big state schools just take a state nickname and run with it - Badgers, Hoosiers, Sooners, Hawkeyes, Wolverines, Buckeyes, and so on.

To me, the really interesting ones are the newer schools - Wi-Green Bay, for example, which called itself the Bay Badgers for its first few years, then wanted its own nickname. Phoenix was a winner over, among others, Killer Tomatoes.

Oh, and that Phoenix is always singular, so that the proper heading is "Phoenix is winner" not "Phoenix are winners"

[footballfiji]

I'll do my part for Auburn. The name of the City, Mascot, and school term all come from the same poem:

The nickname "Tigers" comes from a line in Oliver Goldsmith's poem, "The Deserted Village," published in May 1770, "where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey..."

The term "Plainsmen" comes from a line in that same Goldsmith poem, "Sweet Auburn, loveliest (sic) village of the plain..." Since Auburn athletes were, in the early days, men from the Plains, it was only natural for newspaper headline writers to shorten that to "Plainsmen."

[tBBP]

History class is in session. I wish I had more time to research some of this stuff more, cuz this stuff really interests me. (Geek perhaps? Ah well...to each his own...) So who from Hoosierville knows THEIR story? And since we in Indiana, anyone wanna take a stab at the "Boilers"? I don't know what it is about that name --not that I'm mocking it or making fun of it--but is just seems super-weird to me, like Boise State's blue turf. Boilermakers=guys who made steam engines for locos back in the day? that's about the most logical conclusion I can draw from that. But who knows the STORY?

And, as always, any others about any other nickname are welcome.

(Bonus points to anyone who can find out how NC adopted columbia and navy as thier official colors...)

[footballfiji]

From Wikipedia :

Since the 1890s, the term "Boilermaker" has been synonymous with Purdue. Over the years, the name has been applied to Purdue organizations (athletic and otherwise), institutions, and individuals alike, and has come to be the unofficial nickname for all things Purdue, although Boilermaker is the official moniker of the athletics teams and certain other university organizations.

The name that has become such a big part of the identity of the university has its origins in the words of a nineteenth century sportswriter. In 1891, the Purdue football team was first referred to as the "Boiler Makers" by a reporter from Crawfordsville, Indiana, who wrote about the team?s 44-0 victory over local rival Wabash College. Soon afterward, Lafayette newspapers were using the name, and in 1892 the student newspaper announced its approval of the 'boilermaker'. Before the widespread adoption of "Boilermaker," Purdue was also sometimes referred to as the home of the "haymakers," the "rail-splitters," the "sluggers," or the "cornfield sailors."

[leopard88]

(Bonus points to anyone who can find out how NC adopted columbia and navy as thier official colors...)

This sounds like a job for . . . VITAMIN D!!!!

If you want something more obscure, my Lafayette Leopards were known as the Maroon until some time in the 20s. The sports editor of the college newspaper at that time thought the school should have a nickname that wasn't just a color. He noted that many colleges had animal nicknames, liked the sound of "Leopards", started using it and it stuck.

[VitaminD]

(Bonus points to anyone who can find out how NC adopted columbia and navy as thier official colors...)

Trick question, bud. Navy isn't an official school color...

UNC's official colors are Carolina blue and white, which were chosen as school colors based on the official colors of the 2 main student groups at the time, the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies (still in existence over 200 years later).

I'll finish out the UNC portion of this thread so you can move on...

NICKNAME: "Tar Heels" traces its origins back to the American Revolution or the American Civil War (depends on the mythology you prefer). One theory holds that tar was dumped into one of the rivers (the Tar River), and British troops who crossed the river emerged with tar on their heels on the other side, and could be tracked by following the tarry footprints. The more popular (and more accepted) story comes from the Civil War, when North Carolina troops stayed and fought alone after supporting columns from other Confederate states fled the battlefield; their refusal to flee caused Robert E. Lee to admiringly say that they fought "as though they had tar on their heels."

MASCOT: UNC's mascot is a ram, first taking the field in the 1920s. It was decided that UNC needed an animal mascot for sporting events. Jack Merritt, a popular football player on the team in those days, was known as "The Battering Ram". The idea of a ram mascot in tribute to Merritt took, and Rameses I made his first appearance in the fall of 1924.

...GO TO HELL DOOK!

[EDIT: Leopard - I was probably typing as you flashed my D-signal in the sky... ]

[tBBP]

Interesting stuff im finding out. Thanks 4 all the info guys! Keep it coming--about anything, as I'm sure I ain't the only one intersted in this kind of stuff.

One question I have: I was told long ago that the reason UCLA adopted "Bruins" is because Cal was using Bears and UCLA didn't want the same name but at the same time wanted to "one-up" or "upstage" the "Golden Bears".

Anyone know how true that is, or IF it is? (if it is true, could that also be why they have a somewhat similar color scheme?)

[VitaminD]

Interesting stuff im finding out. Thanks 4 all the info guys! Keep it coming--about anything, as I'm sure I ain't the only one intersted in this kind of stuff.

One question I have: I was told long ago that the reason UCLA adopted "Bruins" is because Cal was using Bears and UCLA didn't want the same name but at the same time wanted to "one-up" or "upstage" the "Golden Bears".

Anyone know how true that is, or IF it is? (if it is true, could that also be why they have a somewhat similar color scheme?)

Don't know about the choice of U-Cal school nicknames, but the University of California system's school all wear some shades of blue and gold/yellow by design, including UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and so on. Obviously, not every UC school has a bear-related mascot/nickname (Aggies, Banana Slugs, Anteaters).

[tBBP]

Don't know about the choice of U-Cal school nicknames, but the University of California system's school all wear some shades of blue and gold/yellow by design, including UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and so on. Obviously, not every UC school has a bear-related mascot/nickname (Aggies, Banana Slugs, Anteaters).

Damn...BANANA SLUGS? And here I thought Boilermakers sounded a bit crazy. ANTEATERS? Whoa...guess you can't make this stuff up.

That's interesting, though, that CA's schools all share the same colors, if only in varying hues. Good stuff.

[Discrim]

One question I have: I was told long ago that the reason UCLA adopted "Bruins" is because Cal was using Bears and UCLA didn't want the same name but at the same time wanted to "one-up" or "upstage" the "Golden Bears".

Anyone know how true that is, or IF it is?  (if it is true, could that also be why they have a somewhat similar color scheme?)

I know one thing, UCLA used to wear the same colors as Cal until the late 40s. a new coach changed the jerseys to a lighter blue and added the shoulder stripes (and I figure, a little later the football team started wearing metallic gold as well), as he thought it'd look better on the field. the other UC schools tend to wear Cal's colors.

The color sharing aint unique to the UC system, either...the U of Minnesota system, all of its schools wear maroon and gold (the Twin Cities campus is the one most are familiar with, but there are smaller branches in Crookston, Duluth and Morris...heck, I recall Morris wore the Gerbils' M&M jerseys for a while, and basically uses teh same logo as its larger cousin, with an extra M)

I figure while I'm here, I'll tell ya why Wisconsin's the Badgers:

The state is known as "The Badger State" through an association with lead miners in the 1820s. Prospectors came to the state looking for minerals. Without shelter in the winter, the miners had to 'live like badgers' in tunnels burrowed into hillsides.

check here for some odd ones

[cranium]

Native Hoosier here. I'm sure others can jump in on this, but no one knows for sure where the term Hoosiers comes from, but most agree it came into common usage after the frontier period. My favorite folktale is that when people knocked on the door, locals in Indiana would answer "who's here?" and it became garbled to become Hoosier. Beats Illinois' original nickname, which I kid you not was 'Suckers'.

One thing to add on about Purdue . . . It was always an engineering school, so a nickname that refers to something mechanical makes sense. At least both schools have unique names, nothing like wildcats, aggies, cowboys, etc.

UNC - North Carolina was also known as a tar producing area well before the American Revolution, so I could imagine natives of the state being known as tar heals.

Tar was a crucial commodity in the wooden ship era.

[MisterE]

From Wikipedia :

Since the 1890s, the term "Boilermaker" has been synonymous with Purdue. Over the years, the name has been applied to Purdue organizations (athletic and otherwise), institutions, and individuals alike, and has come to be the unofficial nickname for all things Purdue, although Boilermaker is the official moniker of the athletics teams and certain other university organizations.

The name that has become such a big part of the identity of the university has its origins in the words of a nineteenth century sportswriter. In 1891, the Purdue football team was first referred to as the "Boiler Makers" by a reporter from Crawfordsville, Indiana, who wrote about the team?s 44-0 victory over local rival Wabash College. Soon afterward, Lafayette newspapers were using the name, and in 1892 the student newspaper announced its approval of the 'boilermaker'. Before the widespread adoption of "Boilermaker," Purdue was also sometimes referred to as the home of the "haymakers," the "rail-splitters," the "sluggers," or the "cornfield sailors."

Dang it. You beat me to it. One of the other names Purdue was given in 1800's was the Pumpkin Eaters, as in cheater cheater pumpkin eater(as they were envious of Purdue ). If you don't happen to remember, when I first joined last year, I had a Purdue logo as my avatar but I was asked to remove it because I was linking the image to the site I got it from or something like that. But anyways, I'm a big Boilers fan.

Back on topic, the Banana Slugs are from UC-Santa Cruz. Their banana slug looks like an alien from Men In Black.

[LMU]

Here's the info on LMU:

Although its origin is somewhat clouded, the Lion mascot has been synonymous with Loyola Marymount University for more than 70 years. According to the Oct. 5, 1923 edition of the school newspaper, the Los Angeles Loyolan, the Lion mascot was suggested by an enthusiastic fan after 1919 when St. Vincent's College became Loyola College. Noting the Loyola football player's fierce competitiveness, that unknown fan described the Loyola players as Lions. The name did not generate too much popularity and the Loyola athletic nickname remained "Loyolan's" until 1923.

At that time, the article explains, the college wished to inspire new pride in its athletes and fans. Noting the success of nicknames for other colleges, the college opted to give the Lion's nickname a rebirth. Calling the old Lion mascot "mistreated and forgotten," the article explains that the Lion would officially find its way into all college songs and cheers. The Lion has remained firmly entrenched in Loyola lore to this very day.

An alternative origin story traces the nickname to the abundance of actual mountain lions which roamed Westchester when Loyola College moved here in 1927. The area remained widely unpopulated and teamed with wildlife when the school moved atop the bluffs. School officials reportedly adopted the nickname because mountain lions inhabited the area when ground was broken.

[tBBP]

This from that link Discrim provided in his msg. If anyone else besides me wonders where in the world VA Tech got "Hokies" from, here's a good explanation, orat least one the site provided>

Virginia Tech Hokies (Blacksburg, VA) -- The actual term "Hokie" came from a cheer that was created back in 1896. It goes as follows: "Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi!/Tech, Tech, VPI/Sol-a-rex, Sol-a-rah/Poly-tech Vir-gin-ia/Ray, Rah VPI/Team! Team! Team!" At that time, the word "Hokie" had no meaning, but was the product of the cheer creator's imagination. Virginia Tech also uses a turkey as a school symbol, since the Tech teams had been dubbed "Gobblers" for the way the male athletes ate, or gobbled, their food at the training table.

That also explains the turkey. BTW maroon and orange goes in my book as one ofthe best color combos in the NCAA, along with the kelly/sky blue Tulane USED to have (that green's gotten much mo' darker, and that sky blue's gotten much mo' non-existent.)

[NJMojorising]

The Cornell Colors

The Cornell colors were actually established on the University's Inauguration Day on Oct. 7, 1868. The account from Morris Bishop's A History of Cornell follows:

At sunrise on Inauguration Day, said the New York Times envoy, "from all the hills poured forth delightful music, and every few minutes the thunder of artillery from the eastern hills responded to the booming of cannon from a lofty eminence on the west side of town." Students and citizens thronged to Library Hall, which was tastefully decorated with marble vases of flowers and a large cross covered with moss, entwined with myrtle. One the side wall, the motto of the new university was blazoned in evergreen letters, and behind the speakers the illustrious names of CORNELL and WHITE appeared in large white letters against artistically draped red flannel, on which stars cut out of silver paper were pinned at pleasing intervals. Thus, entirely unintentionally, the Cornell colors were established for all time, on the first Cornell banner.

Although the Cornell football team was defeated 12-6 in the 1898 Thanksgiving Day game by the University of Pennsylvania, the Big Red made quite an impression that day.

The team's colors impressed Herberton L. Williams, comptroller and general manager of Campbell Soup Co., who attended that game in Philadelphia.

The story is that Williams was impressed by the brilliance of Cornell's red and white uniforms and later insisted that the company adopt those colors for the labels on its cans. The company's original colors were black and orange. The new colors began appearing in 1899.

That decision has been a lasting one. There has been little change in the design of the basic labels and no change in their color since then.

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The Cornell Mascot

Cornell has never had an official mascot, but early in the school's athletic history a bear took over as its most recognizable symbol.

The first live Cornell bear mascot appeared in 1915 during Cornell's undefeated and national championship football season. Since that time, there were three others.

The last edition - Touchdown IV - was never allowed on Schoellkopf Field despite strong publicity campaigns by the Cornell Daily Sun and undergraduate groups.

The bear was invited to Cleveland by the Cornell alumni in the city, and was then shipped in a dog cage, to Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio State-Cornell game. At this point, the Animal Protective League stepped in and decreed that the bear was to be let loose in the wilds of Western Pennsylvania.

The current mascot is a Cornell undergraduate who performs at various varsity athletic events, including at all football and men's ice hockey games.

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The Cornell Nickname

The nickname "Big Red" for Cornell teams originated in 1905. The late Romeyn Berry '04, then a recent Cornell graduate, was writing the lyrics for a new football song. Since Cornell had no nickname at the time, Berry simply referred to Cornell as the "big red team" and it caught on. Berry was graduate manager of athletics from 1919 through 1935 and was recognized as an outstanding authority on Cornell, its traditions and personalities. He was a distinguished writer and newspaper columnist locally. For his musical composition Berry won $25. The song earned a spot in the Cornell Verses, joining rowing songs and other lyrics descriptive of Cornell life.

The Big, Red Team

See them plunging down to the goal

See the ruddy banners stream

Hear the crashing echoes roll

As we cheer for the big, red team

Yea! Yea! Yea!

Chorus

Cheer till the sound wakes the blue hills around

Make the scream of the north wind yield

To the strength of the yell from the men of Cornell

When the big, red team takes the field

Yea! Yea! Yea!

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The Cornell Songs

Alma Mater

Far above Cayuga's waters

With its waves of blue,

Stands our noble Alma Mater,

Glorious to view

Chorus

Lift the chorus, speed it onward,

Loud her praises tell.

Hail to thee, our Alma Mater,

Hail, all hail, Cornell

Far above the busy humming

Of the bustling town,

Reared against the arch of Heaven,

Looks she proudly down

Cornell Victorious

From blue Cayuga

From hill and dell,

Far rings the story of the glory of Cornell.

From east and west the crashing echoes answ'ring call.

"Cornell Victorious; the champions of all."

Cheer! Cheer! Here we are again,

To cheer with all our might!

Cheer! Cheer! Here we are again,

To cheer for the Red and White-Fight! Fight! Fight!

Cornellian colors we'll defend;

We'll hear the echo of our cheer.

Oh, here we are! Here we are again!

(Repeat the first five lines)

Give My Regards To Davy

(After each touchdown/goal)

Give my regards to Davy,

Remember me to Teefy Crane,

Tell all the pikers on the Hill

That I'll be back again.

Tell them of how I busted

Lapping up the high, high ball

We'll all have drinks at Theodore Zinck's

When I get back next fall.

From: http://cornellbigred.cstv.com/trads/corn-trads.html