Most Overused Nicknames in Sports

[mmejia]

Here are (according to the source linked, I guess) the most use US high school nicknames. In quiz form:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/hs_teamnicknames.php

Was just about to post the same thing myself! Love the avatar, by the way. Their last album was one of my favorites from Pearl Jam.

[greggypetty]

I just barely played that mascot game on the sporcle site, and it was pretty hard, but way fun. I think I got just over 20, so I did pretty well. The bulldogs and eagles/hawks/falcons are the most used in my experience, along with cougars and wildcats. I don't know why those animals are always picked. Sure they are cool, but it would be nice to be unique!

Now, this is off topic, but I love mascot costumes. It would be so cool to wear those! Tiger mascot costumes in particular, as that is my favorite animal. Am I the only one who thinks it would be fun to wear a mascot costume?

[jblommel]

Lions, Tigers and Bears,

Oh My...

[adrianb]

List of College Nicknames

[Brian in Boston]

Here are (according to the source linked, I guess) the most use US high school nicknames. In quiz form:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/hs_teamnicknames.php

I had 38 out of 39. I didn't go with Red Devils.

[TruColor]

List of College Nicknames

I have been working myself silly lately getting my College Colors & Nicknames section updated for the SSUR. It's just an enormous task; mind-boggling, really. I've got pretty much ALL nicknames for all four-year, two-year and Canadian schools.

I'll let everyone know when it's good to go.

I'm also generating hundreds of those color palette-swatch images too.

[RyanB06]

One nickname I haven't seen in here yet is the Highlanders. (Unless I missed it.)

That one belongs to Baldwin High School in Baldwin, PA (just call it Pittsburgh--you could spit from campus and it'll land in the "city limits"). Serves baldwin and Whitehall boroughs. With a cool logo to boot. And Paul Lukas' favorite color scheme: purple and white.

My high school was the Highlanders. (Because the school's on top of a hill.)

[BigDmo]

List of College Nicknames

I have been working myself silly lately getting my College Colors & Nicknames section updated for the SSUR. It's just an enormous task; mind-boggling, really. I've got pretty much ALL nicknames for all four-year, two-year and Canadian schools.

I'll let everyone know when it's good to go.

I'm also generating hundreds of those color palette-swatch images too.

Dude I love your site. Its cool to be able to get the colors of the past and present. I've been checking in every once in a while to see if you've gotten Oregon's color swatches up.

[jakerad60]

Any animal that isn't native to the americas kind of pisses me off.

Like the Fighting Platypuses...

or is that Platypi?

i beleive it platipussies

[JayLo1112]

Nicknames currently being used by high school and prep school athletic programs in Massachusetts:

Cougars - 9

Craftsmen - 1

Crimson Tide - 1

Crusaders - 8

Cybercats - 1 <<< wtf?

Dolphins - 1

Dragons - 3

Ducks - 1

Eagles - 14

Jets - 1

yessir, thats my team. the one in only. DY Dolphins

[crashcarson15]

My private high school is the Trailblazers. The public high school I'd go to (and root for in football) is the Tigers. The other team in the district is the Royals.

The name Tigers comes from the original Fishers High School, which was the Tigers, founded back around the turn of the century. Then they moved the high school out of the town and it became Hamilton Southeastern High School, home of the Royals.

[BoomRShine]

For Michigan High Schools that play football, these are the most popular nicknames (10+):

Ealges    33
Panthers  27
Vikings   25
Bulldogs  23
Trojans   21
Wildcats  19
Cardinals 16
Tigers    16
Falcons   14
Cougars   13
Knights   11
Hornets   10
Mustangs  10
Rams      10
Spartans  10
Warriors  10

Some unique nicknames:

Bad Axe Hatchets   
Bessemer Speedboys    
Calumet Copper Kings   
Colon Magi    
Dearborn Fordson Tractors   
Detroit Cass Tech Technicians  
Detroit Pershing Doughboys   
Detroit Southeastern Jungaleers   
Dexter Dreadnaughts    
Durand Railroaders    
Edwardsburg Eddies    
Escanaba Eskymos    
Gaylord Saint Mary Cathedral Snowbirds 
Gladwin Flying G's   
Goodrich Martians    
Gwinn Modeltowners    
Holland Dutch    
Holly Bronchos    
Iron River West Iron County Wykons
Ishpeming Hematites    
Kingsford Flivvers    
Lincoln Park Railsplitters   
Madison Heights Bishop Foley Catholic Ventures
Mount Clemens Battling Bathers  
Saint Clair Shores Lake Shore Shorians
Vassar Vulcans    
Warren Lincoln Abes   
Waterford Mott Corsairs   
Ypsilanti Lincoln Railsplitters   
Zeeland East Chix   
Zeeland West Dux   

[DustDevil61]

My high school: Kanab Cowboys (Red/White/Silver)

Our main rival: Beaver Beavers (Royal Blue/White/Black) (though their home unis were black when I was in HS)

Some interesting names/colors for H.S. names from the Beehive State (Utah) and nearby:

Jordan Beetdiggers (Maroon/White) (I think)

Delta Rabbits (Red/White)

Davis Darts (Brown/Gold) (not sure on yellow-gold or metallic gold) (Kaysville)

Dixie Flyers (Blue/White) (in St. George)

Monticello Buckaroos (Orange/Black)

Grand County Red Devils (Red/White) (I think) (in Moab)

Page (AZ) Sand Devils (Red/Black) (I think)

Carbon Dinosaurs (Blue/White) (in Price)

Manti Templars (Red/Silver) (I think it's also a play on the Manti [LDS] Temple, the most-well known landmark in the city)

Piute Thunderbirds (Light Blue/Red) (in Junction)

Canyon View Falcons (Teal/Silver/Black) (in Cedar City)

North Sevier Wolves (Maroon/Royal Blue) (in Salina)

Man, there's a lot of red and blue in there. I could also have sworn that I've seen an early pennant (in the old library, which is now a local museum) for Kanab High and it looked like it was orange and brown. I wonder if that's what the colors were going to be or what led to the change to red and white.

I've also seen a severely shrunken basketball uniform from the 50's, and it had some royal blue trim on it. I also own a basketball jersey from the 80's which had powder blue on it, as well.

Another name came to my mind, from Arizona: Bagdad Sultans (that's how it's spelled)

[Bleujayone]

Since we're covering both amateur and pro teams, I thought about this one

Texans. Bo-ring. Seriously, it seems every time a pro-football team shows up in Texas, the nickname "Texans" has to be kicked around. I know there's the whole local pride angle, but this has really lost it's punch over the years, probably because everyone seems insistent on using it. No fewer than six teams have done so, and I'm sure there are a few others in other sports or schools. We'll start with the most recent and go backwards...

Houston Texans-NFL (2002-present)

San Antonio Texans-CFL (1995) *formerly the Sacramento Gold Miners, oddly enough another expansion team was supposed to join the same year as Sacramento also called the San Antonio Texans but they never came to be.

Dallas Texans-Arena (1990-1993)

Houston Texans-WFL (1974) *started of at the Astrodome but finished season in Shreveport, LA as the Steamer

Dallas Texans-AFL (1960-196) *moved to Kansas City to become the Chiefs when they had to compete with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Texans-NFL (1951-1952)

[Saintsfan]

My pet peve with sports names is when the name really clashes with a location- for instance Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh isn't coastal is it?? Not much of a Pirate problem in the steel city then!! Or Utah Jazz, can't think of a less Jazzy place than Utah.

I know some of the worst offenders on this are due to relocation (such as the Jazz) but if your name really clashes like that change it.

Animal names don't irritate me that much when it comes to this, I don't think that the Detroit Lions or Jacksonville Jaguars are bad names really (save for the alliteration).

[Discrim]

well, three rivers do run through Pittsburgh (or converge there, I forget which), so even if they never poached players from rival leagues (which is how they got the name) it'd still work.

[Saintsfan]

well, three rivers do run through Pittsburgh (or converge there, I forget which), so even if they never poached players from rival leagues (which is how they got the name) it'd still work.

Ha ha they could do with poaching a few players now!!

(Can't really be a pirate on a river though!! The Galleons would never fit!!)

[gosioux76]

Let me up the ante here a bit ...

I was a proud member of the Aitkin (Minn.) Gobblers.

[GT YELLOWJACKETS]

I think that my school is original. We are the BEAVERSHARKS!!!