# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/41 "2007-08-28T12:17:55Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] Come now, how can anyone beat [The Fighting Terps?](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://myvtc.com/individual/Crunkkman/profile/Maryland_Terps.gif&imgrefurl=http://myvtc.com/individual/Crunkkman/index.php&h=810&w=891&sz=112&hl=en&start=1&sig2=Y4U03lYNqjuXE_WEYDgPHA&um=1&tbnid=RbpEV7JBdHnE1M:&tbnh=133&tbnw=146&ei=8QLURrucHqH-gQOn57WYCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTerps%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DX) It is a freakin’ turtle, people! Further, people from other places do not realize they are the T **e** rps. Gotta love the artwork [Fear the Turtle!](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.outlook.umd.edu/images/16Nov04_35030115.1122.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sportsmetablogs.com/Blog.aspx%3Fid%3D173&h=225&w=300&sz=50&hl=en&start=274&sig2=AOSvYnUavNjOVIkX2Wf2Rw&um=1&tbnid=LPOFoaMA5h_vTM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&ei=DAXURvXbLKL-gQOmxcyYCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTerps%26start%3D260%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN) , indeed. [/QUOTE] Pistols at dawn, sir! ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/42 "2007-08-28T12:50:26Z")
Not so much unfortunate as intentional, but there’s the [Macon Whoopee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macon_Whoopee). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/43 "2007-08-28T12:53:45Z")
[QUOTE=runner pat] From [here.]([http://www.listology.com/content\_show.cfm/content\_id.22495\](http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.22495%5C)) College of the Atlantic Black Files [/QUOTE] Suspecting this might be a typo, I checked for the possibility it might actually be Black **Flies** and located this: [College nicknames that have offended no one, for any idle minds that want to know](http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05221/550723.stm) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/44 "2007-08-28T13:16:27Z")
[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] And here I was thinking geoduck was the name of a pokemon. And I agree, USC means and will always mean University of South Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/45 "2007-08-28T13:34:06Z")
[QUOTE=postcards] Well, I was referring to Oyster Bay; didn’t realize Hampton Bays’ teams had the same name. How about the Smithtown Lady Bulls? [/QUOTE] Well, the women’s teams at USC (the real one) are the Lady Gamecocks, which is, of course, an animal husbandry conundrum. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/46 "2007-08-28T14:25:47Z")
While Kent State’s lame nickname has already been mentioned, Ohio has some other very weak names: Youngstown State’s Penguins Akron Zips Baldwin-Wallace College Yellow Jackets John Carroll University Blue Streaks Muskingum College Fighting Muskies The Zips are actually represented by kangaroo named “Zippy.” Shamelessly ripping off Maryland’s “Fear the Turtle” slogan, Akron now sells "[Fear the Roo](http://store.fansonly.com/marketplace/store/Vendor146/fullscale/NvyFTRTee-c.jpg) t-shirts. I have one. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/47 "2007-08-28T14:49:15Z")
[QUOTE=Green Bean] I’m very proud of my alma mater, but I have to say, the Carnegie Mellon team name is pretty pathetic–The Tartans. Our team is named for a plaid. Ooooh! We’re gonna come CLASH with you! :rolleyes: I was complaining about this to my brother one day. He pointed out that as he went to the University of Pennsylvania, his team was named for a peace-loving brotherhood. While not as lame as The Tartans (IMHO), I had to admit that a name like The Quakers wasn’t exactly intimidating. [/QUOTE] Yep. My alma mater too. We would joke about it: “Penn: Home of the Fighting Quakers!” ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/48 "2007-08-28T14:54:05Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] 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? [/QUOTE] My friends of mine and I at the UU church in Atlanta used to joke about fielding a community softball team called the “Fighting Catamites.” But we never got around to it. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/49 "2007-08-28T15:26:27Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Does Arkansas Tech have any female teams? That’d be weird to play as the Wonderboys. [/QUOTE] They do, but alas, in an uncharacteristic burst of common sense, they’ve used the "[Golden Suns](http://www.atu.edu/mascot/history.shtml) " as their nickname for over 30 years (they were formerly the “Wonderettes”, which no doubt lead to them being mistaken for a Motown vocal group at times). Apparently, the idea of unifying the schools teams under a single “athletic brand” is an area of contention currently on campus: [http://www.atu.edu/mascot/index.shtml](http://www.atu.edu/mascot/index.shtml) . ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/50 "2007-08-28T18:24:53Z")
Years ago, Austin Peay had a pretty flashy player named James “Fly” Williams who was pretty much the main man on the basketball team. During basketball games, the home crowd liked to engage in the following cheer: “The Fly is open, Let’s go Peay!” ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/51 "2007-08-28T18:45:10Z")
My sister went to the University of Richmond…home of the Spiders! I kind of like it…it’s definitely unique. ---
**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 28, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/52 "2007-08-28T19:14:14Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Quite. University of South Carolina, established 1801. _State_ of California, established 1850. [/QUOTE] I’ve made this EXACT post, word for word before. [QUOTE=KneadToKnow] There is also the unfortunate side-effect of the rallying cry, “No one can lick our Cocks.” How sad for them. [/QUOTE] It’s not that sad, while I was in college our football team was 1-22 over a two year stretch. Everyone was beating our Cocks then. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/53 "2007-08-28T21:49:45Z")
Probably the most unfortunate nickname belonged not to a college, but to a high school: the athletic teams of Pekin High School, in Pekin, Illinois, were the Pekin Chinks! From the Wikipedia site about [Pekin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pekin%2C_Illinois): > [@](#): > > Pekin Community High School teams were officially known as the Pekin Chinks until 1980 when the mascot was changed to the Pekin Dragons (an earlier attempt was made by a visit of the NAACP to change the name from Chinks during the 1974-1975 school year, this was voted down by the student council; the event received national attention). Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina are the [Blue Hose](http://www.gobluehose.com/). The University of Delaware are the [Blue Hens](http://www.udel.edu/sportsinfo/.) Now that Presbyterian and Delaware are both in Divison 1-AA of the NCAA, we can only hope for a match up between the Blue Hose and the Blue Hens! ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/54 "2007-08-28T23:56:00Z")
My brother’s alma mater is [Whitman College](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitman_College), in Walla Walla, Washington. They’re the Fighting Missionaries. Hence, their cheer: _Missionaries, Missionaries, We’re On Top!_ ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/55 "2007-08-29T00:06:42Z")
What about _actual_ college names? Arcadia University in southeastern PA was until recently named _Beaver College_. And it was founded as a women’s college. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/56 "2007-08-29T00:17:45Z")
I went to Tulane whose mascot is the Green Wave. It is odd and a little abstract but the concept really breaks down when you need a live mascot at football games and things. The live mascot is a person in a giant Gumby suit. I went to grad school at Dartmouth whose mascot is just the “Big Green” so I guess I was riding a theme. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/57 "2007-08-29T00:39:58Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Yeah, but did you “come across” any catamites? [/QUOTE] Ah, when i think of all the people I’ve come across in my life…and all the people who have come across me… _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/58 "2007-08-29T04:23:43Z")
Nothin’s lamer than the Whittier College Poets. “Oohh! Look out! They’ll scan us!” ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/59 "2007-08-29T05:27:18Z")
[QUOTE=postcards] There’s a high school near me whose teams are called the ‘Baymen’. The girls teams are the ‘Lady Baymen’. [/QUOTE] There’s a high school in my hometown where the teams are the “Rams”- and the girls’ teams are the “Lady Rams.” ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/60 "2007-08-29T06:09:12Z")
Apparently the women’s teams at Western Illinois U. didn’t want to be Leathernecks (bulldogs, not Marines) so they’re the Westerwinds. Don’t know what the mascot is, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123.md?page=4)