# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/61 "2007-08-29T12:52:00Z")
[QUOTE=Manatee] Nothin’s lamer than the Whittier College Poets. “Oohh! Look out! They’ll scan us!” [/QUOTE] One of Montgomery’s high schools is Sidney Lanier and they’re the Poets, too. Bart Starr went to school there, so he went from being a Poet to a Packer, as is often the case, I hear. I’d be willing to bet that there are some too clever high school, prep school, and tech school mascots. In fact, I seem to recall an issue of MAD Magazine that dealt with the concept in their patented way with such things as the Wisc Brooms, the Penn Bars, the Texas Hold’ems, the Denver Pyles, etc. Maybe that would provide an interesting hijack trail? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/62 "2007-08-29T12:54:22Z")
[QUOTE=Leiko] There’s a high school in my hometown where the teams are the “Rams”- and the girls’ teams are the “Lady Rams.” [/QUOTE] Imagine if the school had been more literal and had gone with the Ewes, and the favorite cheer had gone, “Go You Ewes, Use Them!” Or not… ---
**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 29, 2007, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/63 "2007-08-29T13:12:46Z")
[QUOTE=rackensack] 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) . [/QUOTE] Thanks for picking up on that for me there, rackensack…you from those parts? I just went back for a short family visit and ate at the what-a-burger (a one of a kind place not to be confused with the chain whattaburger)…yeeha! ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/64 "2007-08-29T14:02:22Z")
[QUOTE=Drain Bead] Any school that can get a frat boy to wear a hat that says “COCKS” is alright by me. [/QUOTE] Their caps usually say “YOU CAN’T BEAT OUR COCKS”. Another interesting one is Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons. I’ve always thought it was an odd turn of phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/65 "2007-08-29T14:09:23Z")
My university calls its teams the Crusaders. That goes down _really_ well in this day and age. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123/66 "2007-08-29T19:17:53Z")
Wasn’t there a college who named their teams the Nads, so the fans could cheer “Go Nads! Go Nads!”? Anyone who went to school in the Big East knows the chant “What the hell’s a Hoya?”. The sad thing is, it’s literally true: A Hoya is a What. And **Labdad** mentioned the UDel Blue Hens, but didn’t mention the other school color. The mascot itself is a yellow-bellied chicken. On the other side of the question, I’m rather fond of the UConn Huskies. Say it out loud, if it’s not obvious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-college-nicknames/417123.md?page=3)