# Do Syracuse Orangemen hate Catholics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203 "2003-08-19T13:58:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NFlanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@NFlanders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NFlanders)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/1 "2003-08-19T13:58:43Z")
A co-worker and I were discussing the best college sports nicknames (I said it was Wake Forest Demon Deacons) and he suggested the Syracuse Orangemen. That got me to thinking, are they named for the Irish Protestant society the Orangemen? I can’t find anything on Google or on the Syracuse webpage about the origin of “Orangemen”. This makes me suspicious that they are trying to play down the whole Protestant issue since they probably have tons of Catholics (and Irish Catholics) at their school. Is this true? What is the origin of the Orangemen mascot? ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/2 "2003-08-19T14:18:03Z")
Given that it’s in NY, I’d bet it’s a more direct reference to the Netherlands colonial era (House of Orange, obliquely the reform/Calvinist church, et al) than to Ireland, although the issues are intertwined in a complicated way via the house of Orange and English dynastic politics. Someone else can explain that part better than I can. ---
**Author:** ![altor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@altor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/altor)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/3 "2003-08-19T16:12:40Z")
from [here](http://students.syr.edu/traditions/) > [@](#): > > Orange became the University’s official color in 1890 when Syracuse became the first college to adopt only one official color. The original school colors, rose pink and pea green, adopted in 1872 were not popular. Orange was chosen to represent the golden apples of Hesperia; the story of the sunrise and the hope for a golden future. Blue is used as an unofficial accent color. ---
**Author:** ![altor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@altor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/altor)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/4 "2003-08-19T16:18:40Z")
That quote didn’t say it, but I have always assumed the team name Orangemen came from the school’s official color. I grew up in Syracuse – my high school’s colors were orange and blue too. Go Bulldogs! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/5 "2003-08-19T16:22:26Z")
There’s a Newman Center for Syracuse University. The link may have a few problems. [http://www.masspike.net/acc/newman.htm](http://www.masspike.net/acc/newman.htm) ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/6 "2003-08-19T16:24:22Z")
Isn’t Syracuse in Orange County? ---
**Author:** ![tlt1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@tlt1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tlt1)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/7 "2003-08-19T16:30:48Z")
The Orangemen DESPISE Catholics… if they are the kind from Notre Dame or Boston College. ---
**Author:** ![altor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@altor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/altor)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/8 "2003-08-19T16:33:22Z")
[More on the choice of orange as official color](http://www.syr.edu/aboutsu/memorabilia/orange.html) Still looking for cite for origin of team name … ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/9 "2003-08-19T16:34:30Z")
Orange County NY is in the southern section of the state, about 45min from NYC. Syracuse is in northern NY, about 4 hours from Orange Cty. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/10 "2003-08-19T16:56:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cheesesteak \* > \*\*Orange County NY is in the southern section of the state, about 45min from NYC. Syracuse is in northern NY, about 4 hours from Orange Cty. \*\* Well, from a Manhattan perspective (“Anything north of Peekskill is northern New York State” ;)), Syracuse may appear to be northern, but as a longtime resident of Northern New York, I’d have to advise you that any Syracusan would tell you they live in Central New York, not up in Northern New York with us hicks. But yeah, compared to Orange County, Syracuse is definitely north. ---
**Author:** ![keithnmick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90db22/32.png) [@keithnmick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keithnmick)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/11 "2003-08-19T17:01:04Z")
I can’t imagine why they’d want to switch from rose pink and pea green as the official school colors… ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/12 "2003-08-19T17:21:12Z")
Poly, to a Manhattanite, **I** live in ‘upstate’ New York, and I’m only about 10 miles from the Bronx. Orange County is ‘the country’ and north of that may as well be another continent. ---
**Author:** ![NFlanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@NFlanders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NFlanders)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/13 "2003-08-19T17:38:47Z")
Thanks for the cites **Altor**. It seems like just a coincidence. Also I didn’t know that Syracuse was founded by the Methodist Church (from one of your cites), which makes the Irish connection highly unlikely. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/14 "2003-08-19T18:43:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NFlanders \* > \*\*Thanks for the cites **Altor**. It seems like just a coincidence. Also I didn’t know that Syracuse was founded by the Methodist Church (from one of your cites), which makes the Irish connection highly unlikely. Thanks. \*\* I don’t see why being founded by the Methodist Church would make an Irish connection unlikely, after all Methodism is one of the largest denominations in Northern Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/15 "2003-08-19T20:38:40Z")
Because Orange Order goons are usually Calvinists of some stripe or another, not Wesleyans. ---
**Author:** ![ata66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@ata66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ata66)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/16 "2003-08-19T20:50:12Z")
i’m at a student at syracuse and can tell you that the name comes from the updated school color of orange. as it has been said above, the colors were changed from pea green and pink to orange, and blue has been used as an unofficial secondary color. when the school color changed to orange, the mascot did not automatically become the orangemen, as their mascot was the saltine warrior(a fighting indian.) when this was deemed inappropriate, the school chose the orangemen as their name and the students unofficially named otto the orange their mascot. a few years ago, some people complained and said that the school needed to change their name again because they thought orangemen was just an updated way of mocking the native americans, and the school almost changed their name to the orange wolves(with a few other animals as alternatives.) this never went through though, and the orangemen stayed the name of the sports team and the name of the national nccaa champions. syracuse is also in onondoga(spelling?) and not orange county ---
**Author:** ![altor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@altor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/altor)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/17 "2003-08-19T20:57:12Z")
The Saltine Warrior (the salt industry was once big in Syracuse) was an S.U. mascot, was depicted as an American Indian and was discontinued in the 1970s. However I believe the team name was “Orangemen” before and during the use of the Warrior as a symbol. (sorry no cite) ---
**Author:** ![NFlanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@NFlanders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NFlanders)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/18 "2003-08-19T20:59:01Z")
According to [this page](http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/ni/religion.htm#2/) (1993 numbers), only 4% of the population Northern Ireland are Methodist as opposed to 44% Presbyterian/Episcopalian and 35% Catholic. But it does seem that the Methodists have been involved in the “troubles” and I should have said unlikely, not highly unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/19 "2003-08-20T00:04:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cheesesteak \* > \*\*Poly, to a Manhattanite, **I** live in ‘upstate’ New York, and I’m only about 10 miles from the Bronx. Orange County is ‘the country’ and north of that may as well be another continent. \*\* Hell, I lived in Yonkers, which shares the border with the Bronx, and WE were upstaters. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203/20 "2003-08-20T06:34:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dogface \* > \*\*Because Orange Order goons are usually Calvinists of some stripe or another, not Wesleyans. \*\* Not true in the north of Ireland. The OO has members from all the major strains of Protestantism. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-syracuse-orangemen-hate-catholics/196203.md?page=2)