# Unfortunate College Nicknames **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123 "2007-08-27T17:35:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/1 "2007-08-27T17:35:56Z")
Over the past few days (weeks even) the references to the [Western Carolina Catamounts](http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2717) in the buildup to their season opening game with the Alabama Crimson Tide has caused me to snicker. The snicker is due to this unfortunate relationship: [Catamount](http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/catamount) [Catamite](http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/catamite) Is there much chance that the individuals responsible for the choice of nickname/mascot had any idea of this? Can you come up with some other unfortunate names? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/2 "2007-08-27T18:21:10Z")
Arkansas Tech _Wonderboys_. Strikes stark, cold fear in the hearts of opponents, I tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/3 "2007-08-27T18:28:26Z")
Unfortunate on purpose – The UC Santa Cruz Fighting Banana Slugs. [Mascot.](http://www.alumni.ucsc.edu/img/bluegoldblack400.jpg) [Actual banana slug.](http://meanderthal.typepad.com/dope/images/banana_slug.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/4 "2007-08-27T18:31:01Z")
Every couple of years, I get to mention this. When South Carolina plays USC, it’s the Cocks versus the Trojans. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/5 "2007-08-27T18:31:06Z")
Any school that can get a frat boy to wear a hat that says “COCKS” is alright by me. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/6 "2007-08-27T18:35:25Z")
Ball State University often goes by either Ball U. or BSU. Take your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/7 "2007-08-27T18:36:50Z")
Kent State is the Golden Flashes! Two perversions in one. Still, it beats hell out of the Crimson Rivulets. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/8 "2007-08-27T18:38:50Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Every couple of years, I get to mention this. When South Carolina plays USC, it’s the Cocks versus the Trojans. 😃 [/QUOTE] And what makes this even more cool is that they’re both USC. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/9 "2007-08-27T18:44:30Z")
I came in here to nominate the antebellum and segregationist tinge of the Ole Miss\* Rebels logo, seen [here](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ole+miss+logo). What do you know; I searched all over the \*University of Mississippi website and couldn’t find it. Progress. Whodathunk it. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/10 "2007-08-27T18:44:46Z")
deleted - double post. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/11 "2007-08-27T19:06:19Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Every couple of years, I get to mention this. When South Carolina plays USC, it’s the Cocks versus the Trojans. 😃 [/QUOTE] I think you meant to say “when USC plays Southern Cal”. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/12 "2007-08-27T19:08:37Z")
The college I started out at (before realizing music wasn’t gonna make me any $$) has a mascot called a “Hilltopper.” WTF? Now granted, the college is on top of a small hill-like area. But if you look at the mascot, it’s a direct rip-off of WVU’s Mountaineer. Of course, the 2 year I graduated from had a mascot called The Thundering Chickens. I’m not kidding. I dunno if it’s been changed but yeah, had a mascot and no sports teams, nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/13 "2007-08-27T19:58:35Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Unfortunate on purpose – The UC Santa Cruz Fighting Banana Slugs. [Mascot.](http://www.alumni.ucsc.edu/img/bluegoldblack400.jpg) [Actual banana slug.](http://meanderthal.typepad.com/dope/images/banana_slug.jpg) [/QUOTE] They actually told us, at grad student orientation, why the banana slug is the perfect mascot. It’s not sacred to any known group of people, and banana slugs are hermaphrodites, so there’s no possibility of sexism 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/14 "2007-08-27T20:37:08Z")
Delta State (in LA) has a mascot called the “Fighting Okra” which is a big okra with a mean face and boxing gloves. I only know this because they featured “him” (the Okra) on an episode of Good Eats…about okra. Does Arkansas Tech have any female teams? That’d be weird to play as the Wonderboys. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/15 "2007-08-27T20:51:49Z")
[QUOTE=BaneSidhe] The college I started out at (before realizing music wasn’t gonna make me any $$) has a mascot called a “Hilltopper.” WTF? Now granted, the college is on top of a small hill-like area. But if you look at the mascot, it’s a direct rip-off of WVU’s Mountaineer. Of course, the 2 year I graduated from had a mascot called The Thundering Chickens. I’m not kidding. I dunno if it’s been changed but yeah, had a mascot and no sports teams, nothing. [/QUOTE] The school I work at is also the Hilltoppers. It doesn’t look like a Mountaineer, though: [http://www.stedwards.edu/athletic/images/mascot3.gif](http://www.stedwards.edu/athletic/images/mascot3.gif) Then there’s Western Kentucky’s Hilltopper: [http://www.wkusports.com/images/logo/bigred1.gif](http://www.wkusports.com/images/logo/bigred1.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/16 "2007-08-27T20:59:08Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] Ball State University often goes by either Ball U. or BSU. Take your choice. [/QUOTE] And of course there’s the ultra-rightwing Baptist college, Bob Jones University-- or BJU. I keep hoping some earnest, yet naive, Bob Jones administration decides to give the college the nickname the “Beejers.” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/17 "2007-08-27T21:09:03Z")
[QUOTE=USCDiver] I think you meant to say “when USC plays Southern Cal”. [/QUOTE] Quite. University of South Carolina, established 1801. _State_ of California, established 1850. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/18 "2007-08-27T22:29:29Z")
Campbell Camels! I would have chosen Campbell Supers. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8491ac/32.png) [@GorillaGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaGirl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/19 "2007-08-27T22:31:37Z")
I give you the Geoducks of Evergreen State College [Mascot, Fight Song and picture of actual geoducks](http://www.evergreen.edu/athletics/geoduck.htm) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/20 "2007-08-27T22:51:22Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaGirl] I give you the Geoducks of Evergreen State College [Mascot, Fight Song and picture of actual geoducks](http://www.evergreen.edu/athletics/geoduck.htm) [/QUOTE] I think that might win… Not only is it a rare sort of animal, is not scary at all, is ugly and serves barely purpose, but the name is nearly un-pronounceable on sight (It’s pronounced GOO-ee-duck…wtf???) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123.md?page=2)