Each state's university nickname

[winghaz]

In light of a lot of comments about nicknames in general, I decided to rate the different nicknames for each state's main university.

The best nicknames represent their state or state history well and appear powerful.

On three of them -- Louisiana, Ohio and Pennslvania -- I'm going with Louisiana State, Ohio State and Penn State because they are generally considered their state's main univer ities. On New Jersey, I'm going with Rutgers because I can't find a University of New Jersey.

Alabama Crimson Tide: D. Doesn't get an F only because everybody associates Crimson Tide teams with Alabama ... but that's putting the cart before the horse.

*Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks: A-plus. Fantastic nickname. Very Alaskan.

Arizona Wildcats: C. Too generic.

Arkansas Razorbacks: C. OK name. Different. But not great.

California Bears: A. The bear has always been associated with California.

Colorado Buffaloes: B. Good solid nickname, good with the state.

Connecticut Huskies: A-minus. It's a nickname you don't associate with Connecticut, but when you turn it into UConn it sounds like Yukon, and becomes extremely clever.

Delaware Blue Hens: D. Awful name that would be an F if it wasn't associated with Delaware.

Florida Gators: A-plus. Powerful nickname and strongly represents the state.

Georgia Bulldogs: C. Too generic.

Hawaii Warriors: C. Would have been a B or higher had they kept Rainbow Warriors.

Idaho Vandals: C-minus. Weird nickname, not very representative of the state.

Illinois Illini: A. What other state would have Illini as its nickname?

Indiana Hoosiers: C. Very representative of the state, but what's a Hoosier?

Iowa Hawkeyes: C. It's the Hawkeye state, but why?

Kansas Jayhawks. A-minus. Pretty representative of the state's history.

Kentucky Wildcats: C. Too generic.

Louisiana State Tigers: D. Too generic and not representative of the state.

Maine Black Bears: A-minus. Good name for the state. Better than Lobsters.

Maryland Terrapins: D. Terrapins? Fear the turtle nickname.

Massachusetts Minutemen: A-plus. Fantastic nickname for Massachusetts.

Michigan Wolverines: A-minus. Powerful nickname and it's the Wolverine state.

Minnesota Gophers: D. Minnesota may be the Gopher state, but is that something to be proud of?

Mississippi Rebels: C. That high because it represents Mississippi's history, that low because if you were African American, would you want to be proud of that history?

Missouri Tigers: D. See LSU.

Montana Grizzlies: A-plus. Same reason as Florida Gators.

Nebraska Cornhuskers: C. Representative of the state, but kind of weird.

Nevada Wolfpack. B-minus. Good name, but a little generic.

New Hampshire Wildcats: C. Too generic.

New Jersey -- Rutgers Knights: C. Too generic.

New Mexico Lobos: B. Good, solid nickname.

*New York -- SUNY Great Danes: B-minus. Unique, but not very New Yorkish.

North Carolina Tar Heels: A. Read some history about what Tar Heels means in North Carolina. Great name.

North Dakota Fighting Sioux: A-minus. Great name, but I can think of even better tribes from North Dakota that are more worthy, such as the Mandans, the Arikara and the Hidatsa. If you're not PC, that is.

Ohio State Buckeyes: D-minus. It represents Ohio, but Buckeyes??? A nut???

Oklahoma Sooners: A-plus. Fantastic name for Oklahoma.

Oregon Ducks: F. Ducks???

*Penn State Nittany Lions: A-minus. Great name and represents Pennsylvania, even though there may not have been mountain lions in the Nittany Mountains (from what I read).

Rhode Island Rams: C-minus. Generic name, and how does it represent Rhode Island?

South Carolina Gamecocks: C. Solid name, but it's still a chicken.

South Dakota Coyotes: B-minus. Like the Nevada Wolfpack, a solid name, but a little generic.

Tennessee Volunteers: B. Good name for the state.

Texas Longhorns: A. Great name. Would be A-plus except for the fact that many Longhorns went on to become steaks.

Utah Utes: A. Like the Illinois Illini, what other team would be called the Utes?

Vermont Catamounts: B-minus. Unique nickname, but maybe a little too unique.

Virginia Cavaliers: B. Good, solid nickname with some historical ties.

Washington Huskies: B. Good, solid nickname. Would be even better for a team in Alaska.

West Virginia Mountaineers: A. Very representative of the state.

Wisconsin Badgers: D. See Minnesota Gophers.

Wyoming Cowboys: A-plus. Powerful nickname and very representative of the state. So much so that there's a cowboy on the state's licene plate -- the same logo that adorns the university's football helmets.

* Corrected from first post.

[tommytimp]

Thanks for going the distance, but I think your logic is flawed on occasion. For instance, Tar Heels is OK but Rebels is offensive? They're the same thing. Also, some of the names are incomplete-Scarlet knights, Fighting Illini, Golden Gophers, etc. And most of these nicknames have some history behind them. But, of course, I can't argue with one person's opinions.

[Moser316]

Couple of observations:

Both NYU and Penn are private institutions. If you're looking to use state schools for both states, I'd use Penn State for Pennsylvania and the four flagship universities of the SUNY system (Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook) for New York. If you don't want to go that route for New York, I'd also consider Syracuse, despite it being a private school. Also, it's Fairbanks who uses the Alaska designation for athletics (their nickname, the Nanooks, works even better than Seawolves for the state).

[Yac12]

Although Wisconsin used the animal Badger, the states nickname comes from the Miners from 1800 that mined the western part of the state. They took the name badgers for digging into the ground.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

winghaz: No :censored:ing clue what he's talking about; F.

[TFoA]

Ole Miss' nickname really can't be considered offensive anymore, because that state, more and more, is trying to distance itself from its history concerning the Rebel flag and stuff. So the usage of Rebels is more like the UNLV usage.

(Another announcement of me turning "heel" on MSU. )

[Cola]

South Carolina Gamecocks: C. Solid name, but it's still a chicken.

Just a chicken, huh? How about we go visit a cockpit out in the country, let you hop inside of the ring and then tell me they are "just chickens." haha

Besides that, your logic is confusing on how you choose the "good" names. For example, are you comparing to state tradition and history, original-ness of the nickname, or just how cool it sounds? I ask this because 1. UC Bears got an A...BEARS. A bear. That is like using a tiger or hawk. Played out...yet you said Wildcats and Bulldogs was too generic. I'd be willing to put blind money up that there are more Bears for mascots than the other two combined.

I continue...Hawkeye, I feel that is a great nickname. It is a good twist on a boring and common nickname. And Buckeye, that is another awesome nickname I must say. Crimson Tide is also another awesome name I think, you totally dissed it. Cornhuskers is weird but Volunteers isn't?

Of course these are your opinions, but I just wanted to chime in with a rebuttal.

[LMU]

So, what is the rationale of giving names like Hoosiers and Hawkeyes Cs, but Sooners A+? I see no difference in terms of the fact that the meaning of the name might not be known.

[winghaz]

Both NYU and Penn are private institutions. If you're looking to use state schools for both states, I'd use Penn State for Pennsylvania and the four flagship universities of the SUNY system (Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook) for New York. If you don't want to go that route for New York, I'd also consider Syracuse, despite it being a private school. Also, it's Fairbanks who uses the Alaska designation for athletics (their nickname, the Nanooks, works even better than Seawolves for the state).

Thank you for the comments. I stand corrected. Must be all this cold weather here in North Dakota affecting my brains. I am making appropriate changes on the original post. Thank you.

(By the way, I'm going with SUNY Albany for New York, just because it's the capital city.)

[kewp80]

The Missouri Tigers are named after a civil war unit that was based in Columbia, MO. They called themselves the Tigers and got a reputation for being tough. So no confederate forces threatened Columbia, ever. So I would say it has much historical significance, and may not represent the state, but represents the town a lot.

[iowahoo]

To my Palmetto state brother- Wildcat is the most common nickname in high school and college sports.

TO the original poster- it would be much more inclusive and fun to go state by state rather then pick what you consider to be the top school in each state. I say this because as a BGSU fan I can say there are 6 other D1-A schools in the state of Ohio other than the Evil Empire.

[tj4eck]

you know oregon is the beaver state and so is the oregon state university so is that an A?

[agentrygraphics]

To answer your question...a "Hoosier" is someone that decided to seek their education at a party school.

Seriously...dating back from my Indiana State days, a the term "Hoosier", according to wikipedia...has many supposed origins...none of them universally accepted:

Frontier slang

This idea suggests the term was a greeting. When approaching a man's home in those early frontier days, you shouted from afar, "Hello, the cabin!" to avoid being shot. The inhabitants would then shout back "Who'sh 'ere?" (who's there). As it got slurred together over time, the country folk came to be called Hoosiers.

Another possibility relating to slang historically associated with the region is the combination of "Who's" and "your", such as in "Who'sh yer 'pa?".

Additionally, "Hussar" was a term used on the Kentucky frontier for people who were public nuisances. According to local tradition, hussars were hard drinking carousers. This hypothesis carries the implication that a large share of such folks came from Indiana.

Strongmen

Indiana rivermen were so spectacularly successful in trouncing or "hushing" their adversaries in the brawling that was then common that they became known as "hushers."

Additionally, the poet James Whitcomb Riley facetiously suggested that the fierce brawling that took place in Indiana involved enough ear biting that the expression "Whose ear?" was common enough to be notable.

Contract labor

A contractor reportedly named Samuel Hoosier preferred to hire workers from Indiana during the construction of the Louisville and Portland Canal in Louisville. His employees became known as "Hoosier's men" and finally just "Hoosiers."

A similar story involves the National Road, which got its start in Cumberland , Maryland, and slowly extended westward as the United States expanded (now called U.S. 40). It truly was a "national" road, in that it was "macadamized" (or "paved"), quite an innovation for the nineteenth century. It was far ahead of its time, easily providing the best transportation route of its era. The road had reached Columbus, Ohio, just about the time that Indiana was in its final stage as a territory.

As plans were made to extend the highway to Richmond, Indiana, the call went out for laborers. Knowing that the federal government would pay "top dollar," the employees of a contractor in the Indiana Territory reportedly named Robert Hoosier asked their boss if they could go work for this higher wage in the neighboring state of Ohio (Ohio attained statehood 13 years before Indiana did). Mr. Hoosier gave his consent, asking them to return to work for him when this section of the road was done.

Just as in the Sam Hoosier story, the crew of Indiana workers proved to be industrious, conscientious, and efficient. The Federal foreman referred to the group as "Hoosiers" meaning they were workers that Robert Hoosier had allowed to join the national work crew. It wasn't long before people along the National Road used the term to describe the folks living in the territory to the west.

Americanized Anglo-Saxon

Jacob Piatt Dunn, Jr., Indiana historian and secretary of the Indiana Historical Society concluded that the term stemmed from the word "hoozer" from the Cumberland dialect of England, deriving from the Anglo-Saxon word "hoo" meaning high or hill. Immigrants from Cumberland, England settled in the Southern Appalachians and then migrated to the southern hills of Indiana, bringing the term with them.

Military origin

Another plausible explanation for "Hoosier" is that it sprang from Kosciusko County in the northern part of the state. Indeed Tadeusz KoÊciuszko, a Polish noble who fought with George Washington in the Revolutionary War, may have been the first "Hoosier." (This explanation was provided from research by Eugene Eoyang, professor at Indiana University).

Here again, "Hoosier" reflects the American penchant over the years of mispronouncing words and place names from other languages, and is a corruption of the Polish word, huzar or hussar (Hungarian: hussar, Russian: hussar, French: hussard) which, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, meant "freebooter" or "freelance" before the 15th century

Then, in the second half of the 15th century, it acquired the meaning of "light horsemen" (see hussar). It is this sense that the term could be applied to the dashing, heroic light cavalry regiments who "fought with George Washington in the Revolutionary War." The military connotations of "hoosier" are strikingly reinforced in the Journal of the Kosciuszko Guards by William S. Hemphill (1832?1907).

There is no indication of the exact year in which the journal was written, but it was, presumably, sometime in the years following the end of the Civil War in 1865 and before his death in 1907. The word hoosier or hoosiers occurs frequently in the journal. Indeed, the Indiana regiment who fought in the Civil War named their camp "Hoosiertown."

Perhaps, the most telling anecdote is of a splendid Massachusetts regiment who disdained to soil their hands with the chore of moving a massive rock. So the regiment from Indiana, referred to as "Hoosiers," sets about the project. The soldiers from Massachusetts merely looked on. "A large, fine looking man," Hemphill recalls, "wearing a common soldier's blouse and slouch hat, on passing, had paused to watch the proceedings."

He began to berate the leader of the Massachusetts regiment, a second lieutenant. Abashed, the second lieutenant takes on airs, and threatens to teach the interloper some manners, but upon noticing that the "burley form of the Hoosier looked rather formidable, decided to appeal to Hemphill, who was in charge of the Indiana regiment."

"Sergeant," the second lieutenant said, "this is one of your men; arrest him and take him to your commanding officer. I will prefer charges against him and have him properly punished!" Hemphill took no action; as he reported later, because "I was full of laughter that I could make no answer."

When the interloping Hoosier realized how upset the second lieutenant was, he makes a pretty speech?if not an apology, then of polite remonstrance?;ending with these plainspoken words: "I guess the Sergeant will not arrest me, but if you wish to prefer charges against me, you can do so. I am Lieut. Col. George Humphrey, of the 12th Ind. Inf. at your service."

Hemphill adds: "It was a complete take down; and the Lieutenant's turn to apologize. The Hoosiers all joined in the laugh, and three cheers were given for Col. Humphrey; while the crest fallen Yankees quietly returned to their camp to wonder what kind of men the Hoosiers were anyhow."

Humorists

Humorist Dave Barry has suggested that it comes from "the sound pigs make when they sneeze." He had also speculated that it could be a Native American word meaning "sex with caribou."

Also, in the St.Louis area of Missouri & Illinois...the term Hoosier is a slang term for "white trash" (NO, not more humor...so says wikipedia)

[tBBP]

And then you left out my Florida State Seminoles. (Anyone who knows anything about that KNOWS the historical, geographical, and every other kind of tie there is between the school and its nickname of choice.)

I may have to check again, but I don't recall seeing the Miami Hurricanes in your list, original poster. (I can't even believe I'm about to make a case for an arch-rival here!) We ALL know how synonymous hurricanes are with south Florida; as for the ibis, to hear the story told, when all other animals scurry and run and hide from the storm, the ibis is the last to leave, or something like that--I forget exactly how that goes. (And I think that nickname certainly works better in South Florida than in some place off in the central U.S., like, say, Tulsa...

Somewhere in this forum is a link to a book some guy wrote concerning the history of the Razorback mascot and logo, and in it is the story of how that nickname came about. That's actually one of the better NCAA nicknames, in my opinion.

[leedsunited]

Someone has way too much free time.

[tBBP]

Someone has way too much free time.

Well I know it sho ain't me... (I WISH I could have more...)

[speedy]

The University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Minutemen are also on their way to being a private institution, other options in the UMass System are...

UMass-Boston Beacons

UMass-Lowell Riverhawks

UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs

Or other state schools...

Salem State Vikings

Westfield State Owls

Fitchburg State Falcons

Framingham State Rams

Bridgewater State Bears

Worcester State Lancers

Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers

Mass. College of Liberal Arts Trailblazers

None of which are all that fascinating...

[Jamikel]

Thanks for going the distance, but I think your logic is flawed on occasion. For instance, Tar Heels is OK but Rebels is offensive? They're the same thing. Also, some of the names are incomplete-Scarlet knights, Fighting Illini, Golden Gophers, etc. And most of these nicknames have some history behind them. But, of course, I can't argue with one person's opinions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_Heel

A lot of it has to do with the fact that the origin of the nickname is unknown. The explanation of brave Confederate troops is just the most popular legend. And even then, it specifically refers to the bravery of the North Carolina troops, not the cause for which they fought, as the term Rebels connotes.

So anyway, enough history. On to the important stuff.

I'd give an A+ to any state-specific nickname that couldn't possibly work for anything but a state college. Cornhuskers, Sooners, Volunteers, etc, all great names.

Ditto for the less-threatening animal nicknames. Gophers, Ducks, and Terrapins all rock. Fear the Turtle has to be one of the greatest slogans of all time. And I'm not even including Badgers in this because they're almost exactly like wolverines, aka badass.

Crimson Tide gets an F. As does any mascot that reminds me of a woman's period, regardless of whatever the actual significance is.

[Fred T. Jane]

winghaz: No :censored:ing clue what he's talking about; F.

You= smart.

In addition, you have the wrong university for Alaska and Louisiana

Alaska-Anchorage is the flagship school of the University of Alaska system

...and I graduated from the University of Louisiana.

[jkrdevil]

Maryland Terrapins: D. Terrapins? Fear the turtle nickname.

Of course the Diamondback Terrapin is the state reptile of Maryland. You should do at least some research on why they are named what they are named before handing out grades.