Underused Team Names

[Mac the Knife]

I think a Jimmy Stewart connection is in order.  I just couldn't think of one to suggest that didn't sound ludicrous.  The Baileys?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

NO JIMMY STEWART REFERENCES!

Dear God, no! That town is sicophantic (sp?) enough about that old bastard. Leave his sorry ass out of this.

"sycophantic"

Thanks. I don't use the term often, so I blame lack of use...

/former Ohio state spelling champ as a kid.

//embarrassed that I didn't know it.

[tBBP]

I could cite lack of creativity as a good reason why nicknames seem to get used over and over again...but then again, that problem usually only shows up in the majors (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB). Go down tot he minors and you'll find some of the most unique...and downright hilarious...nicknames.

Personal Favorites: Tennessee Valley Vipers (QUICK--WHERE DID THEY PLAY AT???), Macon Whoopee (comical), Greenville Grrrowl (or however many "r's" they used), Bossier City Battle Wings (one of the coolest I've ever heard), Manitoba Moose (has any other team called thenselves Moose besides them?)...

I guess the most unique names come from places with a rich history and heritage that would be easy to pulla name from, like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Quad City Steamwheelers, (when they were there, the) New Orleans Jazz, (if they had changed the name, the) Memphis Express (FedEX is HQ'd there; that was a proposed nickname change for the Grizz), the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia 76ers, and, to a lesser degree, the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins (now THERE'S a seriously underused one, but then, dolphins ain't found everywhere, either.)

The ones that get me are nicknames that have nothing to do with the locale. I've been to Philly, can't ever one time remember seeing a dastard eagle; last I checked, was not a single falcon to be found in Atlanta.

And lastly...what the hell is a Tartan? (Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA)

[Fretzy]

My High school team name is the Saint, unlike New Orleans....we are actually refering to a Saint Bernard, chalk one up for "Dog Breeds other then Huskies and Bulldogs"

[sappy13]

Monkeys and Gorillias I have felt might pose a problem due to the fact they can also be a negative reference to a race of people. We all remember Howard Cosell and his "look at that monkey go" comment. I just think some names are off limits for social reasons. Hell even the Reds reverted back to Red Legs in the 50's. I know many here will bring up all the Indian names, and with the exception of the Redskins I have felt the rest were honorific. As for the most unique that would be the Baltimore Orioles which is the only name of a team that is also a spicies.

But wasn't Cosell referring to Art Monk?

I don't think so, but there are supposedly instances of Cosell calling white players monkeys as well.

The best though was after that when Howard said something and Don Meredith replied, "Yeah, Howard, you old orangutan you." Classic.

Had to check the spelling on orangutan, that's a tricky one.

Actually, Cosell was referring to 5-7, 178lb WR Alvin Garrett.

[seattlefan68]

Has any team ever used the name "Silverbacks"?  I think it's a cool name, and think of the awesome gorilla images you could use in the logo....

some BC hockey team has that name.

actually that team is called the silvertips.

And they play in Everett, Washington.

[Fred T. Jane]

And lastly...what the hell is a Tartan? (Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA)

A plaid cloth. Though their mascot is a Scottish Terrier, since having a piece of cloth running around as your mascot seems to not work as well as a small dog.

[FrankCostanza]

Manitoba Moose (has any other team called thenselves Moose besides them?)...

There was an American Basketball League team called the Trenton Moose in 1933-34, and there is an International Junior Hockey League team called the Maine Moose. Plus the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has a team called the Halifax Mooseheads, named after the beer company.

[Pat Patriots Blue Hair]

UMass Minutemen is a nice name, that makes sense, although there was talk of changing it a couple years ago

[Lightningfan]

The Pro Football Hall of Fame site has a page showing the origins of each NFL nickname. For example, the Chiefs:

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - The AFL franchise began in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. When the team was moved to Kansas City in 1963, the new name was selected by a fan contest.

I'd like to know the story behind some of the old NFL team names from the 20's, like the Pottsfield Maroons and so on.

I read that Chiefs was used due to the mayor of KC being instrumental in gettting the franchise to move from Dallas. The mayors nickname was "the Chief".

[Lightningfan]

My alma mater is considering a name change, having been caught under the NCAA's guidelines against native American names (Indiana University of Pennsylvania apparently couldn't make the case for keeping "Indians").

They're unofficially considering a bunch of alternatives, but frankly, they all suck:  Crimson Thunder, Crimson Hawks, Wanderers, etc.  Coming up with a name that works today is one thing, but coming up with one that people will relate to in 100 years is another.  For example, who thinks "Toronto Raptors" is a name that works today?  Yet back when the team was organized, everyone thought "Cool.  Dinosaurs are "in," so that name'll work."  And for a while, it did.

I remember the "vote" taken a few years ago, where the coices included "Fighting Squirrels", "Jumping Jimmies", and "Oaks."

Toronto Raptors have a perfect exit strategy to wiggle out of the dumb dino reference that goes with their nickname.

Raptors is the group name for birds of prey ex: hawks, falcons, eagles, owls.

They could change their logo to resemble any number of those birds: coopers hawks, red tailed hawks, bald eagles, golden eagles, perigrine falcons, screetch owls...etc etc....