# What was your high school mascot?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 24, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335 "2005-01-24T01:09:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 5

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/81 "2005-01-25T02:38:57Z")

</div>

Go East Bay Indians!

Hasn’t fallen prey to the PC’ers yet.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Flipstrip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f6c823/32.png) [@Flipstrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipstrip)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/82 "2005-01-25T03:57:54Z")

</div>

The Rebels. Mascot was Johnny Reb. School flag was the confederate battle flag. They’ve probably been changed to something else since I graduated, since this was almost 20 years ago.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/83 "2005-01-25T04:28:28Z")

</div>

> [@BrotherCadfael](#):
>
> My high school team were the Crusaders, and the mascot was a knight.
> 
> Last month, the forces of PC determined that the image of a Crusader was “potentially offensive to Muslims” and, despite an overwhelming vote on the part of the students, the school board dropped the team name and mascot.
> 
> Asshats.

My high school was (is) the Crusaders, and our mascot was “George”, a 8 foot tall statue of an armored knight with the school coat of arms on his surcoat.

Luckily, my school’s a Catholic school and would happily tell the PC/muslim crowd to go straight to hell if they suggested we change our mascot of 40+ years.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/84 "2005-01-25T05:49:28Z")

</div>

> [@buttonjockey308](#):
>
> I was a [Trojan](http://www.bloomdistrict206.org/athletics/football.htm) warrior and believe me, that was odd enough, but [These](http://www.fisher.k12.il.us/webpage/sports/fisher_bunnies_track_and_field.htm) downstate kids had it worse though.

When I was in junior high, we were the Trojans. My ninth-grade year book (ninth-grade is still junior high in Sand Springs) was called “Trojan Explosion”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Krinthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@Krinthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krinthis)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/85 "2005-01-25T11:02:40Z")

</div>

We were the Peglegs. Kind of appropriate given how bad we were at everything.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/86 "2005-01-25T16:09:13Z")

</div>

The Knights -  
which can be a useful mascot. “Knight” rhymes with a lot of things (fight, might, brite, sight, fright, light, …) and we probably heard them all over the years. Also, when it comes to naming things and events, it is easy to make bad puns with the word “Knight.” So there were things like “Good Knight,” “Knight Time,” “Tales of 1001 Knights,” much better than one of the rival schools whose mascot was a wooden statue.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [January 25, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/87 "2005-01-25T16:29:35Z")

</div>

Lo, behold the awesome power of [The Dardanelle Sand Lizards!](http://lizardlink.afsc.k12.ar.us/athletics.htm).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/88 "2005-01-25T16:35:22Z")

</div>

Hamilton West Hornets. Unfortunately, they went with an orange-and-black color scheme, instead of the more realistic and infintely better-looking yellow-and-black. And all of our sports teams pretty much sucked, too.

In college, we _were_ the RPI Engineers. Geeky, yes, but we were proud of our geekiness. I can imagine the writers and editors at Sports Illustrated looking at each other and asking, “the _Engineers_ won the NCAA? WTF?”

Unfortunately, someone decided that the old alma mater needed a better image, so it’s now the Rensselaer Redhawks. Not, “RPI,” but, “Rensselaer,” which a goodly number of people (including some students there) can’t pronounce. And, “Redhawks,” which are a dime a dozen, not, “Engineers,” which is not exactly a common mascot.

Just to confuse the issue, when we were the Engineers, the actual mascot that skated around on the ice was a red and white (school colors) bee. Not entirely sure why, although the prevailing story had something to do with the old saw about it being aerodynamically impossible for bumblebees to fly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/89 "2005-01-25T16:42:46Z")

</div>

(Texarkana) **Arkansas High Razorbacks**.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/90 "2005-01-25T17:15:52Z")

</div>

> [@cstamets](#):
>
> We were the “Fighting Quakers”, if you can believe that.

New Philadelphia, yes? We went down there for a band competition once and we thought that was just the funniest thing.

In high school, we were the Falcons. My middle school mascots were the… wait for it… _Argonauts_!

–Cliffy

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/91 "2005-01-25T17:24:33Z")

</div>

> [@MidnightRadio](#):
>
> When I was in junior high, we were the Trojans. My ninth-grade year book (ninth-grade is still junior high in Sand Springs) was called “Trojan Explosion”.

Did you go to Sand Springs High School? Were they still the “Sandites”?

:snicker:

😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/92 "2005-01-25T17:35:09Z")

</div>

> [@carlb](#):
>
> Unfortunately, someone decided that the old alma mater needed a better image, so it’s now the Rensselaer Redhawks. Not, “RPI,” but, “Rensselaer,” which a goodly number of people (including some students there) can’t pronounce. And, “Redhawks,” which are a dime a dozen, not, “Engineers,” which is not exactly a common mascot.

What? _WHAT?_ When the hell did that happen?

I _liked_ being the Engineers, mostly because it was so delightfully weird. You can’t draw an “engineer” for a mascot, so we ended up with that silly ice-skating hockey puck in a hardhat. And the aforementioned bee. It was the quirkiness of the 'Tute distilled down to its goofy-assed essence.

Redhawks? Feh.

Yes, I realize that I’m admitting that I haven’t been to a hockey game in quite some time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/93 "2005-01-25T18:17:13Z")

</div>

The Highclimbers. The Shelton High School Highclimbers. I lived in a logging town. The Grays Harbor Community College mascot is Charlie the Choke-Setter.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/94 "2005-01-25T19:11:54Z")

</div>

> [@whistlepig](#):
>
> The Devil.
> 
> Seriously.
> 
> They are known as the Red Devils but have always had devil mascot. Horns, tail, goatee, etc.
> 
> The junior high team is the Demons.
> 
> Every couple of years some fundies get upset about it.
> 
> Whistlepig

We were the Dodge City Red Demons, complete with fundie hijinx. One nut was arrested while trying to cover the one on the water tower with spray paint. Then he wrote rambling incoherent “God is going to kill you all” letters to the local paper from jail. Good times!

The original mascot was the Sou’wester (we were in Southwest KS), and I’m not sure why or when it was changed. Even after the change, we mostly went with cowboy themes for band and drill team uniforms, to play up the “Gunsmoke” thing, I guess. To my knowledge, they remain the Red Demons.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/95 "2005-01-25T21:32:22Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> What? WHAT? When the hell did that happen?

Sometime in the last 5-10 years. My Senior year ('88-'89) was when they started instituting the RPI -\> Rensselaer transition, replacing virtually every sign on campus in the space of a couple of months. It wasn’t just the name change; if it was to appear on signs, letterhead, etc. it was to be underlined with this gray bar. It all just seemed so ridiculous; we took to calling the school, “Rensselaerwithagraybar.” I did notice that, despite the mandate from on high, the hockey jerseys continued to use the RPI, “bullet,” for many years after the changeover.

The Redhawk thing was more recent, but I don’t remember precisely when. I just remember thinking it was pretty stupid. Could you imagine Purdue changing their mascot from the Boilermakers to…I don’t know…the Blackbirds? It just doesn’t work.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/96 "2005-01-25T21:40:48Z")

</div>

> [@Krinthis](#):
>
> We were the Peglegs. Kind of appropriate given how bad we were at everything.

It seems that **Krinthis** and I went to the same high school, if it was Stuyvesant High School in NYC. 🙂 I’d just like to elaborate and note that an actual mascot existed, Pegleg Pete. A little guy with a stumpy leg and a tricorn hat. He’s a little more threatening if you know that Peter Stuyvesant was a right bastard who pretty much soaked the soil of New York with the blood of his enemies.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/97 "2005-01-25T23:02:52Z")

</div>

Well, for my freshman year the school I went to were the Ridgefield (CT) Tigers. Pretty basic; orange & black the school colors.

When we moved out here to Indiana, I became a Noblesville Miller. That’s right, a MILLER. Our mascot looks a lot like Purdue Pete from Purdue University and the school colors are black & gold - but the school song is sung to the same tune as the IU fight song. Rumor has it that they didn’t want to offend anyone who was a supporter of either school.

Background story on the whole Miller thing is [here](http://nhs.noblesvilleschools.org/noblhs.nsf/SBH/1A96F9337A0D558A85256C55005167CF?OpenDocument) .

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/98 "2005-01-25T23:47:09Z")

</div>

B, B, B-R-E-A  
(clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)  
K, K, K-E-R-S  
(clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)  
B-R-E-A  
(clap-clap-clap)  
K-E-R-S  
(clap-clap-clap)  
BREAKERS! BREAKERS! ROOOOLLLL BREAKERS! Yay!

Other schools in our athletic conference included Padres, Chieftains and Haybalers. Pretty cool.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/99 "2005-01-26T00:43:11Z")

</div>

The mascot was the Headless Horseman. The team name was the Riders. The girls were the Lady Riders.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335/100 "2005-01-26T01:20:22Z")

</div>

We were the Titans.

Yawn.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335.md?page=4)

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-high-school-mascot/286335.md?page=6)
