Editor’s note: this column originally ran in the Friday, Feb. 3, 2006 edition of The Ledger Independent.
— This was a fun — and somewhat silly — column to write “back in the day.” I’m planning to delve a bit more into nicknames in the Saturday column. – CH —
While perusing the Associated Press wire a few days ago, I came across a basketball score of a game between Wabash College and Ohio Wesleyan University. It wasn’t the score of the game that caught my eye and I certainly don’t have a rooting interest in either school but what did intrigue and slightly amuse me were the nicknames.
Wabash is known as the Little Giants and OWU has the moniker of the Battling Bishops. I thought right away that these have to be the most oxymoronic nicknames for any schools in the nation. By the way, the Bishops must have had a bit more fight in them than the small, big (which are they?) Wabash team from Crawfordsville, Ind. in this game since OWU won 71-68.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association itself drew a large amount of attention to team nicknames last year by threatening to bar schools with so-called offensive nicknames from playing in NCAA tournaments. The policy adopted by the NCAA Executive Committee prohibits NCAA colleges and universities from displaying hostile or abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames or imagery at any NCAA national or regional championship competition. The policy also prohibits those colleges and universities from hosting NCAA postseason championship events.
Much of their argument centers around names such as Indians, Warriors, Redskins, Braves and Seminoles being offensive to Native Americans and the NCAA does have a point, up to a point. Many Native American tribes do not even agree with the NCAA about the new policy and the issue also is seen by others as another example of political correctness run amok.
One school that came under heavy criticism is Southeastern Oklahoma State University, which calls its teams the Savages. That may be going over the line and I cannot see too many Native Americans being very happy with that one. The folks at SOSU recently announced a nickname change to “Savage Storm” and the school will be changing its logo and mascot as well.
Many other schools have retained their unusual nicknames, with some being imaginative and others simply strange.
Take the Little Giants and Battling Bishops, for just a pair of examples.
Those are only the beginning when it comes to odd team names.
The Battling Bishops may want to take on the Hustlin’ Quakers of Earlham College to settle a religious argument as well as a basketball game. There is also St. Joseph College of Maine, who have designated their teams to be known as the Monks. Or they could really step up in competition and play the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.
The Little Giants may be too small to face the Jumbos of Tufts University but maybe Wabash possesses a quicker lineup.
There are also plenty of other animal nicknames around the country besides Wildcats, Lions, Bulldogs, Panthers and Tigers.
One of my favorites are the Anteaters of Cal-Irvine. Wonder how they would match up with the Battlin’ Beavers of Blackburn College or the Gorillas of Pittsburg State University?
A true David-Goliath contest would come if the Banana Slugs of Cal-Santa Cruz attempted to defeat the mighty Humpback Whales from the University of Alaska-Southeast.
One extremely stubborn battle would be between the Central Missouri State Mules and the White Mules of Colby College. Then there are the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas, which boasts of having a cornerback playing for the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, Jordan Babineaux.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City could have their Kangaroos hopping as they meet the Boll Weevils of Arkansas-Monticello.
One team nickname that I cannot personally stand nor understand is South Carolina’s choice of the Gamecocks. Worse yet, Jacksonville State in Alabama also chose to have the fighting rooster as its nickname.
There could also be a matchup of amphibians, with Texas Christian’s Horned Frogs opposing the Frogs of Hampshire College.
Then there are those nicknames that just make you wonder: What were they thinking?
I cannot see the nickname of Poets striking fear into the heart of any opponent but Whittier College’s Poets did win a game last week by a score of 137-125 over Redlands.
Another game where neither team’s nickname is going to frighten anyone would be Centenary’s Gentlemen versus the Student Princes of Heidelberg College.
Ohio schools Kenyon and Oberlin also possess odd nicknames and when they face each other, it is a game between the Lords and the Yeomen. When the women play, it changes to the Ladies of Kenyon against the Yeowomen of Oberlin.
How would like to be the mascot that dresses up for Trinity Christian College? If you did, you would be representing the Trolls, not a pretty thought.
I seriously doubt whether Sweet Briar College has a mascot dressed for its games. The Virginia school is known as the Vixens, which doesn’t exactly sound like family entertainment. Along somewhat similar lines, former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen’s alma mater, Central Arkansas, calls it womens’ teams the Sugar Bears.
Arkansas Tech (sure seems like Arkansas is popping up here quite often) has separate names for its men’s and women’s teams. The guys are called the Wonder Boys and the girls are know as the Golden Suns. Why not the Wonder Girls?
Webster University in St. Louis is known as the Gorloks, which is some sort of mythical creature that resembles a mix of several animals.
No matter how vicious a Gorlok may be, he would still be no match for a Keelhauler from California Maritime Academy.
A keelhauler is a pirate and the act of keelhauling was a form of brutal corporal punishment practiced by British and Dutch navies on crew members who had serious breaches of misconduct. Keelhauling involved tying the hands of the crewmember to a rope and hauling him under the keel of a ship. The practice was formally abolished in 1853 but it lives on in Cal Maritime athletics.
The Flames of Illinois-Chicago would appear to be no match for the Inferno of Alverno College and may also be extinguished by the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College. No, they must mean socks instead of a fire hose, right?
Evergreen State College boasts of the Geoducks, pronounced GOO-ee-ducks, not JEE-oh-ducks, according to their website. I have no idea why.
California Lutheran calls its teams the Kingsmen but i am certain it isn’t the same guys who sang “Louie, Louie” in the mid-60s.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is naturally known as the Hardrockers, just not the kind that play heavy metal music.
Cal State-Long Beach’s most-used nickname is the 49ers, which is not so unusual but the baseball team adopted a unique name in collegiate sports by calling itself the Dirtbags. Hard not to like that one, if you’re a fan of aggressive baseball.
There are many other unusual nicknames out there, including the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina, the Anchormen of Puget Sound Christian, the Judges of Brandeis, Washburn’s Ichabods, Akron’s Zips and many more.
My all-time favorite has to be the Fighting Artichokes of Scottsdale Community College, which adopted the name in 1972 when the student government ran an election to name a mascot for the school following a dispute with school administrators. I suppose the students figured that’ll show ’em. But the school has since embraced Artie, their mascot.
Kind of makes me wonder just what is in the water in Arizona to come up with a nickname like Artichokes but it isn’t any worse than a few other bizarre choices seen in other places.
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