zubazpirate Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I always thought it was a bit odd how the University of Alberta's varsity sports teams had different names for the men's teams and the women's. The men's teams are the Golden Bears, while the women's teams are the Pandas. I'm a bit hazy on the history but I understand it dates back to the 40s or 50s when the earliest women's varsity teams adopted the Pandas name as distinct from the Golden Bears. Which was an unusual choice for an identity given that, as I understand it, pandas are not typically found in Northern Alberta. However, it's interesting to see that the practice of gendered team names and logos has persisted over the years. Are there other collegiate teams that have also have identities split by gender? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian in Boston Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I presume you're looking for schools where the identity split manifests itself in more than just the word "Lady" being slapped in front of the athletic programs' overall mascots. Arkansas State - Boll Weevils and Cotton Blossoms Arkansas Tech - Wonder Boys and Golden Suns Cal Lutheran - Kingsmen and Regals Centenary - Gentlemen and Ladies Central Missouri - Mules and Jennies Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - Stags and Athenas Hawai'i - Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine Louisiana Tech - Bulldogs and Lady Techsters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayJ12 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 The one that immediately comes to mind for me are the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine, but I don't know if that fits the definition that you're looking for. I do know specifically for Utah's women's gymnastics, they are called the Red Rocks instead of the Utes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubazpirate Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 5 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said: Arkansas State - Boll Weevils and Cotton Blossoms. Arkansas Tech - Wonder Boys and Golden Suns Cal Lutheran - Kingsmen and Regals Centenary - Gentlemen and Ladies Central Missouri - Mules and Jennies Hawai'i - Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine Louisiana Tech - Bulldogs and Lady Techsters Interesting, thank you. Some of them make sense (Gentlemen doesn't really work for a women's team) and some identities are more closely related than others . But why Lady Techsters instead of just Bulldogs? The decision making behind some of these is curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubazpirate Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 4 minutes ago, GrayJ12 said: I do know specifically for Utah's women's gymnastics, they are called the Red Rocks instead of the Utes. I wonder if in cases like that it may be a situation of a club team that gets turned into a varsity program? I know that, for instance, the University of Regina's sports teams are called the Cougars but the football team is called the Rams because it was a pre-existing standalone junior football program that was absorbed into the university's athletics program. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayJ12 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 5 minutes ago, zubazpirate said: I wonder if in cases like that it may be a situation of a club team that gets turned into a varsity program? I know that, for instance, the University of Regina's sports teams are called the Cougars but the football team is called the Rams because it was a pre-existing standalone junior football program that was absorbed into the university's athletics program. For the Red Rocks, it came from a media guide a year they won the NCAA championship. The name has stuck for the past 30+ years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard88 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Muhlenberg College used to call its men's teams the Mules and its women's team the Jennies (a Jenny being a female mule). However, from looking at their website, it looks like both teams are now just the Mules. https://muhlenbergsports.com/news/2024/2/14/womens-basketball-ends-on-winning-note.aspx 1 Quote Most Liked Content of the Day -- February 15, 2017, August 21, 2017, August 22, 2017 ///// Proud Winner of the CCSLC Post of the Day Award -- April 8, 2008 Originator of the Upside Down Sarcasm Smilie -- November 1, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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