I attended Lincoln Junior High School in Illinois. When my older brother went there, the basketball team was called the Railsplitters–original and cool. By the time I went, they had dumbed it down to “Lions”–trite and boring. I have no idea why.
Animal names–my favorite is the Javelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville and the Arizona Fall Baseball League. I suspect it’s also fairly common among high schools in the Southwest.
And a special shout-out to the Tufts Jumbos.
Wiki only lists three Beavers, and in this day and age I doubt any other team will use it:
Portland Beavers, a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League
Oregon State Beavers, the sports teams of Oregon State University
Bemidji State Beavers, the sports teams of Bemidji State University
Nyack, NY briefly had a minor league team named the Nyack Rocklands (Rockland being the county that Nyack is in.
I was going to suggest the Jersey City Skeeters, but I’ll be darned if there weren’t a couple of other teams named that.
I’ve always liked the Nippon Ham Fighters from the Japanese baseball league.
Either there is at least one other, or (more likely) we are fellow alumni. Hail to Purple!
This thread has been a lot of fun to read. It’s good to see some teams trying to use something different.
I’d like to add to the Sand list with the Savannah Sand Gnats. An A-ball affiliate of the Mets if I remember right. Also, the Cincinnati Reds team name is actually short for Redstockings, so in the '50s they may well have emphasised the full name rather than just going with Reds.
One of my favorite names has always been the Lewisville Fighting Farmers in Lewisville, Texas. The Texas Rangers AA affiliate Frisco Roughriders have a pretty uncommon name, but I know there is a hockey team somewhere that uses the name and a couple of high schools. There is also the Portland Sea Dogs, which may have been mentioned already, and the Grand Praire Air Hogs that I know was on the list.
One team that I didn’t see anybody mention was the Dodgers, that outside of the major league baseball team and little league teams I don’t remember seeing. As far as I know there are only a couple of hockey teams called the Ice Pirates, and maybe that’s only funny if you have a Texas accent.
There was a minor league team years ago called the Atlanta Crackers. Also a negro league team called the Black Crackers.
Wilson’s Rocklands reminded me of another one, the Oakland A’s Double A affiliate are the Midland (TX) RockHounds.
How could I forget? The TCU Horned Frogs!
A look at the English football leagues and you’ve got teams like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. And up in Scotland, Partick Thistle.
I don’t think any team has used “Storm Chasers” before the Omaha Royals adopted the name for the upcoming season.
For that matter, “Golden Spikes,” which they used for a few years in the 90’s is probably unique as well, unless there’s a college based at Promonotory Point, Utah.
Yep. There’s lots of us on here. Including, if I am not mistaken, the Perfect Master. Or if that’s not canon, at least Ed.
A few of my favorites:
Indiana High Schools
Indiana School for the Blind: Blind Hoosiers
Mishawaka High School: Cavemen (and the Lady Cavemen)
Jimtown High School: Jimmies
Speedway High School: Sparkplugs (just a few blocks away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Minor League Baseball
Macon (GA) Whoopie
Augusta Green Jackets
Albequerque Isotopes
The high school I graduated from has one of the more unusual names I’ve ever seen: the Boiling Springs Bubblers. More unusual high school team names from around here: Trinity Shamrocks, Biglerville Canners, Delone Catholic Squires, and Northern York Polar Bears.
Rochelle High School in Rochelle IL are the Hubs.
Belatedly, it occurred to me to look in an obvious place for some unusual names, that rather ragtag monument to the South’s refusal to be left out of a potentially violent sport, the Southern Professional Hockey League.
The SPHL is home to the
Augusta Riverhawks
Columbus Cottonmouths
Fayetteville FireAntz
Huntsville Havoc
Knoxville Ice Bears
Mississippi Surge
Pensacola Ice Flyers
Louisiana IceGators
My sister went to the University of Richmond, home of the Spiders.
A local high school has my favorite odd team name:
The Crooksville Ceramics
Rarr!
Please tell me their basketball court is called The Crucible.
And that they have meals together in the refractory…
Including the high school I went to! It’s somewhat unusual, but certainly not as unusual as most of the ones mentioned here.