# Same team, same town, different name **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 27, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689 "2020-09-27T19:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/1 "2020-09-27T19:48:49Z")
Watching NFL football today and seeing the name “Washington Football Team”, formerly the Redskins, got me thinking how many professional teams changed their name/mascot but are still the same organization in the same location. Washington Bullets became the Wizards is the only other one I can think of. Any teams done it more than once? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/2 "2020-09-27T19:54:37Z")
New Orleans Hornets became the Pelicans. ETA: and then the Charlotte Bobcats became the Hornets ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/3 "2020-09-27T20:05:00Z")
Tampa Bay Devil Rays became the Tampa Bay Rays. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/4 "2020-09-27T21:18:02Z")
Moved to the Game Room. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/5 "2020-09-27T21:31:08Z")
In the early years of baseball team names (actually knicknames bestowed by sportwriters) changed frequently before they settled into what they are today, The New York Yankees were the Highlanders. Often a name used early in its history by a National League team was reused by an American League team in the same city. The Chicago Cubs started out as the Chicago White Stockings, later being known as the Colts or the Orphans. The Boston (now Atlanta) Braves were originally the Boston Red Stockings, later being known as the Red Caps, Beaneaters, and Doves, before settling on the Braves name. The St. Louis Cardinals started out as the Browns, later becoming the Perfectos. Most other teams underwent similar series of name changes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/6 "2020-09-27T21:36:27Z")
The Philadelphia Phillies claim to be the ‘oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in American professional sports’, but at different times they were known as the Quakers, Philadelphians, and Blue Jays. The team says these were never official names but the beginnings of official names for teams seems a little murky. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/7 "2020-09-27T21:40:19Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In the early years of baseball team names (actually knicknames bestowed by sportwriters) changed frequently before they settled into what they are today, The New York Yankees were the Highlanders. Often a name used early in its history by a National League team was reused by an American League team in the same city. The Chicago Cubs started out as the Chicago White Stockings, later being known as the Colts or the Orphans. The Boston (now Atlanta) Braves were originally the Boston Red Stockings, later being known as the Red Caps, Beaneaters, and Doves, before settling on the Braves name. The St. Louis Cardinals started out as the Browns, later becoming the Perfectos. Most other teams underwent similar series of name changes. Early teams were occasionally named after their team captain, such as the Cleveland Naps (for Napoleon LaJoie) or manager, like the Brooklyn Robins (for Wilbert Robinson). The Cincinnati Reds rather famously became the Redlegs for a few years at the height of McCarthyism. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/8 "2020-09-27T21:43:39Z")
Two of my favorite baseball trivia questions. What was the original name of the New York Yankees? The Baltimore Orioles. The franchise spent its first two years in Baltimore under this name before moving to NY in 1903. (However, it’s also contended that this was a different franchise, being replaced by the NY club rather than moving.) In any case, most people guess Highlanders. What was the original name of the Baltimore Orioles? The Milwaukee Brewers. The club was in Milwaukee for one year before moving to St. Louis to become the Browns. They moved to Baltimore in 1954 to become the Orioles. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/9 "2020-09-27T21:49:09Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > What was the original name of the Baltimore Orioles? > > The Milwaukee Brewers. The club was in Milwaukee for one year before moving to St. Louis to become the Browns. They moved to Baltimore in 1954 to become the Orioles. That is interesting, because, The current Milwaukee Brewers spent their first season in Seattle, as the Pilots. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/10 "2020-09-27T21:52:45Z")
A more recent example than the ones I listed is the Houston Astros, who played their first three years as the Houston Colt 45s (1962-1964). ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/11 "2020-09-27T22:01:53Z")
New York Jets were once known as the Titans. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/12 "2020-09-27T22:03:37Z")
Some more examples, recent enough that they occurred during the era when team nicknames were more formal: - The New York Titans of the AFL changed ownership after the 1962 season, and were renamed the Jets. _(edit: ninjaed by @TheCuse while I was writing!)_ - The NFL’s Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997, but were still named the Oilers for the first two seasons they played there. They then changed their name from the Tennessee Oilers to the Tennessee Titans in 1999. - The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were an NHL expansion team in 1993, and were then owned by Disney; their name was, obviously, taken from the Disney film “The Mighty Ducks.” In 2006, they simplified their name to just “Anaheim Ducks.” - The Cincinnati Reds of MLB played as the Redlegs for several seasons in the 1950s, during the Red Scare in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/13 "2020-09-27T22:04:51Z")
The Chicago Bears were originally the Decatur Staleys, and kept the name as the Chicago Staleys for the first year after they moved in 1921 before changing to the Bear name (to draw on the popularity of the Chicago Cubs). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/14 "2020-09-27T22:12:43Z")
The Dodgers had many names over the years including The Trolley Dodgers. | Tm | Years | W | L | W-L% | Playoffs | Pnnts | WS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1958-2020 | 5392 | 4555 | .542 | 24 | 11 | 5 | | Brooklyn Dodgers | 1911-1957 | 2339 | 1958 | .544 | 7 | 7 | 1 | | Brooklyn Robins | 1914-1931 | 1375 | 1341 | .506 | 2 | 2 | 0 | | Brooklyn Superbas | 1899-1913 | 879 | 1030 | .460 | 0 | 2 | 0 | | Brooklyn Bridegrooms | 1888-1898 | 440 | 374 | .541 | 0 | 2 | 0 | | Brooklyn Grooms | 1891-1895 | 362 | 319 | .532 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Brooklyn Grays | 1885-1887 | 189 | 194 | .493 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Brooklyn Atlantics | 1884-1884 | 40 | 64 | .385 | 0 | 0 | | The Braves are another good example: | Tm | Years | W | L | W-L% | Playoffs | Pnnts | WS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Atlanta Braves | 1966-2020 | 4468 | 4195 | .516 | 21 | 5 | 1 | | Milwaukee Braves | 1953-1965 | 1146 | 890 | .563 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | Boston Braves | 1912-1952 | 2459 | 3005 | .450 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | Boston Bees | 1936-1940 | 355 | 406 | .466 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Boston Rustlers | 1911-1911 | 44 | 107 | .291 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Boston Doves | 1907-1910 | 219 | 389 | .360 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Boston Beaneaters | 1883-1906 | 1742 | 1465 | .543 | 0 | 6 | 0 | | Boston Red Stockings | 1876-1882 | 299 | 226 | .570 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Baseball is very old and some of the NL teams are truly ancient so you’ll see a lot of name changes before 1950 for the original 8 NL Teams. Even the Giants were briefly the Gothams and the Phillies started as the Quakers. Pirates began as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. | Tm | Years | W | L | W-L% | Playoffs | Pnnts | WS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | St. Louis Cardinals | 1900-2020 | 9767 | 8952 | .522 | 29 | 19 | 11 | | St. Louis Perfectos | 1899-1899 | 84 | 67 | .556 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | St. Louis Browns | 1883-1898 | 1059 | 1029 | .507 | 0 | 4 | 0 | | St. Louis Brown Stockings | 1882-1882 | 37 | 43 | .463 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Astros were the Colt .45s ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/15 "2020-09-27T22:37:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Tampa Bay Devil Rays became the Tampa Bay Rays. Is that really a name change? All that’s different is the omission of the word “Devil.” And they still have their original mascot, Raymond Ray. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/16 "2020-09-27T22:40:03Z")
The Red Sox are another good example of this. They used a number of different names for their first decade of existence (including Americans, Pilgrims, Somersets, and Plymouth Rocks) before finally settling on Red Sox around 1910 or so. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/17 "2020-09-27T22:44:52Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The Braves are another good example: Bit of player trivia; [Eddie Mathews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Mathews) played for the Braves in all three cities. > he is the only player to have represented the Braves in the three American cities they have called home.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Mathews#cite_note-em41-2) He played 1,944 games for the Braves during their 13-season tenure in [Milwaukee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee)—the prime of Mathews’ career. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/18 "2020-09-27T22:46:09Z")
It’s not a town or city either. But it is an official name change. And the name no longer refers to fish, it represents sunshine now, or some goofy thing like that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/19 "2020-09-27T22:47:52Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Is that really a name change? All that’s different is the omission of the word “Devil.” And they still have their original mascot, Raymond Ray. I would say it counts. Then you have teams that have kept the same nickname, and basically the same location, but changed the official complete name. The Los Angeles Angels became the California Angels became the Anaheim Angels became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins. The Boston Patriots became the New England Patriots. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689/20 "2020-09-28T00:05:15Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Then you have teams that have kept the same nickname, and basically the same location, but changed the official complete name. The Los Angeles Angels became the California Angels became the Anaheim Angels became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins. The Boston Patriots became the New England Patriots. A couple other examples of that: - When the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals moved to the Phoenix area in '88, they went by “Phoenix Cardinals” until 1994, when they changed to “Arizona Cardinals” - In the same market, when the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996, they went by “Phoenix Coyotes” until 2014, when they switched to “Arizona Coyotes” And, also, we have the most fiddly of naming changes: the NHL’s Chicago team was the “Black Hawks” until 1986, when they removed the space, and became the “Blackhawks.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-team-same-town-different-name/921689.md?page=2)