6C
7C
Sunday, July 12, 2009 | THE TUSCALOOSA NEWS
unique high school mascots by state Alabama School Mascot Coosa Christian Conquerors Gordo Greenwave Hueytown Golden Gophers Jacksonville Christian Thunder Parrish Purple Tornadoes Alaska Diomede Dateliners Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears Ketchikan King Salmon Palmer Moose Point Hope Harpooners Arizona Gila Bend Gila Monsters Desert Edge Scorpions Holbrook Roadrunners Arkansas Cave City Cavemen Conway Wampus Cats Dardenelle Sand Lizards Deer Antlers Smackover Buckaroos Stuttgart Rice Birds California Chester Volcanoes San Benito Hay Balers Dunn Earwigs Mayfair Monsoons Ojai Valley School Spuds Ribet Academy Fighting Frogs St. Francis Troubadours Yuba City Honkers Colorado Alamosa Mean Moose Aspen Skiers Brush Beetdiggers Clear Creek Golddiggers Poudre Impalas Connecticut Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers East Hampton Bellringers Marvelwood Screaming Pterodactyls Nathan Hale-Ray Noises Staples Wreckers Delaware Padua Academy Pandas Florida Apopka Blue Darters Seabreeze Fighting Sandcrabs Lemon Bay Manta Rays Lakeland Dreadnaughts Tarpon Springs Spongers Georgia Cairo Syrupmakers Johnson Atom Smashers Clarkston Angoras Hawaii Punahou Buff n’ Blue Kailua Surfriders Hawaii Prep Gentle Breeze Kealakehe Waveriders Waianae Seariders Idaho Camas Co. Musher Dogs Clark Fork Wampus Cats Shelly Russets Orofino Maniacs Sun Valley Cutthroat Trout Illinois Centralia Orphans/Orphan Annies Cobden Appleknockers Effingham Flaming Hearts Freeport Pretzels Fulton Steamers Galesburg Silver Streaks Hoopeston Cornjerkers Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts Rock Island Rocks Zion-Benton Fighting Zee-Bees Indiana Frankfort Hot Dogs Northwest Space Pioneers Mishawaka Cavemen Rising Sun Shiners River Forest Ingots Shoals Jug Rox Speedway Sparkplugs Iowa Audubon Wheelers Clinton River Kings/Queens Fort Madison Bloodhounds Urbana Stormin’ Pointers Sheldon Orabs Kansas Hesston Swathers Hill City Ring Necks Lawrence Chesty Lions St. Johns Military Muleskinners Greeley Co Jackrabbits Kentucky Corbin Redhounds St. Francis Wyverns Sacred Heart Valkryies Silver Grove Big Trains Somerset Briar Jumpers Louisiana St. Joseph Academy Redstickers Farmerville Fighting Farmers South Lafourche Tarpons Metairie Chipmunks Newman Greenies Maine Brewer Witches Falmouth Yachtsmen Morse Ship Builders Orono Riots Penobscot Valley Howlers Maryland Allegany Campers Key School Obezags Bryn Mawr Mawrtians Crisfield Crabbers Sandy Spring Wildebeests Massachusetts Ashland Clockers Hingham Harborman Lexington Christian Ac. Lasers Provinetown Fishermen Sutton Sammies/Suzies Michigan Bedford Kicking Mules Bessemer Speedboys/Girls Fordson Tractors Forest Hill Central Forest Rangers Ishpeming Hematites Midland Chemics Mt. Clemens Battling Bathers Pershing Doughboys Minnesota Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms Grand Rapids Thunderhawks Roosevelt Teddies Sauk Centre Main Streeters Thief River Falls Prowlers Mississippi East Union Urchins Our Lady Academy Crescents St. Stanislaus Rock-a-Chaws Houston Toppers Missouri Clarkton Reindeer Hickman Kewpies Maryville Spoofhounds West Plains Zizzers Putnam County Midgets
What’s in a name?
unique high school mascots by state
Mascots have been a part of schools’ identity for generations. Some are plain and not very imaginative, such as Tigers or Eagles. There are some that are quite unique, quirky and just plain silly, as in Fighting Sandcrabs or Swamp Foxes. Whatever the name, you can bet there is an interesting story behind it. did you know?
Top five national high school mascots
Opelika High School (Lee County) has two real bulldog mascots named ‘Ope’ and ‘Lika.’
Watersmeet High School (Michigan) | Nimrods
History: Watersmeet School began using the nickname the Nimrod in 1904. By Biblical accounts, Nimrod was ‘a mighty hunter before the Lord.’ According to the Old Testament, He established a great kingdom and founded a number of important Babylonian and Assyrian cities. Watersmeet, situated in the heart of the Upper Peninsula Ottawa National Forest, adopted the name because the forest is prime hunting land for waterfowl, deer and bear.
Poca High School (West Virginia) | Dots
History: The school was named after Pocatalico, an Indian chief from West Virginia. In 1929, Poca High School was playing a game with a rival school and won by a lopsided score. A local sports writer wrote in his story that Poca High School ‘beat the dots off (the opposing school).’ From that moment on, Poca High School became known as The Dots.
Tuetopolis High School (Illinois) | Wooden Shoes
History: In 1932, John Harold Griffin was hired as the coach of the new athletic department. He wanted a unique name for the basketball team. At the time, there was an old Tuetopolis pioneer, George Deyman (pronounced diamond) who carved wooden shoes for a living. To recognize Deyman and the German heritage of Teutopolis, Griffin chose the name “Wooden Shoes” for the team.
Wooden Shoes
Mars Area High School (Pennsylvania) | Fighting Planets
History: The Fighting Planets is a play on words with the town’s name, which was founded in 1873. It is not known whether the town was named for founder Samuel Park’s wife, who enjoyed astronomy, or if it was shortened after Samuel Marshall’s name. Marshall was a good friend of Parks and helped to establish the town post office. The town has taken the namesake to heart and even has a replica flying saucer displayed in the middle of town.
Yuma High School (Arizona) | Criminals
History: In 1910, Yuma High School was moved to the newly abandoned Yuma Territorial Prison. For the next three years, the prison was the home of the school. Teachers conducted classes in the cell block area and the school held assemblies in what had been the prison hospital. City officials notified the school in 1912 they needed the prison as a city jail. The school board proposed and successfully carried through a bond election to build a new school. In 1913, school began in a newly constructed building. That same year, the Yuma football team traveled to Phoenix to play the Coyotes. Yuma High won. The angry Coyotes dubbed the Yuma High players the Criminals. In 1917 the school board officially adopted the nickname. information provided by schools | top teams selected by Edwin stanton
did you know? Indian Springs High School in Birmingham is the only school in the state without a team mascot. There are 39 high schools across the country that do not have a nickname.
top ten most common high school mascots Alabama 1. Tigers 2. Bulldogs 3. Wildcats Panthers Eagles 6. Lions
48 32 26 26 26 17
7. 8. 9. 10.
United States Yellow Jackets Indians Rams Hornets Patriots Rebels
13 11 10 9 9 9
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Eagles Tigers Panthers Bulldogs Wildcats
1219 877 801 800 671
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Warriors Lions Cougars Indians Knights
University of Akron | Zips
History: Originally Zippers, the nickname was officially shortened to the Zips in 1950. Twentyfive years earlier a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the school’s athletics teams. The winner was decided on Jan. 15, 1926. Margaret Hamlin, suggested “Zippers,” the name of a very popular rubber overshoe called the “Zipper Boot,” invented by Akron’s B.F. Goodrich Company. “Zippy” the kangaroo was declared UA’s mascot on May 1, 1953.
2
Virginia Tech | Hokies
History: Was coined by O. M. Stull (class of 1896), who used it in a spirit yell he wrote for a competition. Stull won the $5 top prize for his cheer, now known as Old Hokie. Stull later said that he made up the word as an attention-grabber. Though he may not have known it, “Hokie” has been around at least since 1842. According to Johann Norstedt, a retired Virginia Tech English professor, “[Hokie was] a word that people used to express feeling, approval, excitement, surprise. Hokie, then, is a word like ‘hooray,’ or ‘yeah,’ or ‘rah.’
4
California-Irvine | Anteaters
History: On Nov. 30, 1965, the Anteater was officially chosen in a student election as the mascot of UC Irvine, and “Zot!” the cry that an anteater was imagined to make when attacking its prey, became the campus battle cry. Inspired by Johnny Hart’s comic strip, “B.C.,” the anteater was, at first, not very well received by members of the administration who felt it was too “far out” and undignified to represent the campus. The student body was behind the long-nosed, furry mammal all the way, and 40 years later, the Anteaters still prevail.
1
638 514 470 434 400
source: www.ahsaa.com | www.highschoolnicknames.com
top five college mascots
5
did you know?
Why is alabama the CRIMSON TIDE?
3
University of Idaho | Vandals
History: Name earned by a basketball team coached by Hec Edmundson, whose teams played defense with such intensity and ferocity that sports writers said they “vandalized” their opponents. In 1917, Harry Lloyd “Jazz” McCarty — a writer for the student newspaper, the Argonaut — tagged the team with a new nickname in a pregame write-up. McCarty’s indirect suggestion stuck. By 1921, McCarty and Edward Maslin Hulme succeeded in having Vandals adopted as the nickname.
photos and information provided by schools
did you know? Girls teams at Holt High School are called the Lady Ironmen.
ALABAMA AND THE ELEPHANT STORY On Oct. 8, 1930, sports writer Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story of the Alabama-Ole Miss game he had witnessed in Tuscaloosa four days earlier. Strupper wrote, ‘That Alabama team of 1930 is a typical Wade machine, powerful, big, tough, fast, aggressive, well-schooled in fundamentals, and the best blocking team for this early in the season that I have ever seen. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. ‘Coach Wade started his second team that was plenty big and they went right to their knitting scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against one of the best fighting small lines that I have seen. For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of ground. ‘At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, ‘Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,’ and out stamped this Alabama varsity. It was the first time that I had seen it and the size of the entire eleven nearly knocked me cold, men that I had seen play last year looking like they had nearly doubled in size.’ Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as ‘Red Elephants,’ the color referring to the crimson jerseys.
In early newspaper accounts of Alabama football, the team was simply listed as the ‘varsity’ or the ‘Crimson White’ after the school colors. The first nickname to become popular and used by headline writers was the ‘Thin Red Line.’ The nickname was used until 1906. The name ‘Crimson Tide’ is supposed to have first been used by Hugh Roberts, former sports editor of the Birmingham Age-Herald. He used ‘Crimson Tide’ in describing an Alabama-Auburn game played in Birmingham in 1907, the last football contest between the two schools until 1948 when the series was resumed. The game was played in a sea of mud and Auburn was a heavy favorite to win. But, evidently, the ‘Thin Red Line’ played a great game in the red mud and held Auburn to a 6-6 tie, thus gaining the name ‘Crimson Tide.’ Zipp Newman, former sports editor of the Birmingham News, probably popularized the name more than any other writer.
— University of Alabama
did you know? There are nine high schools with the nickname Crimson Tide. They are: Columbia Borough (Pennsylvania), Concord (New Hampshire), Dunbar (Washington, D.C.), Edgerton (Wisconsin), Everett, (Massachusetts), Glencoe (Oregon), Minden (Louisiana), Pottsville Area (Pennsylvania) and Spaulding (Vermont).
— University of Alabama
Best of the rest college mascots
California-Santa Cruz | Banana Slugs
History: The Banana Slug, a bright yellow, slimy, shell-less mollusk found in the campus’ redwood forest, was the unofficial mascot for UCSC teams since the school’s early years. In 1980, UCSC joined Div. III of the NCAA, which required an official team name. UCSC’s chancellor polled the players, and a consensus for a new moniker — the sea lions, emerged. The new name did not find favor with the majority of students, who continued to root for the Slugs. After five years of dealing with the two-mascot problem, an overwhelming pro slug straw vote by students in 1986 convinced the chancellor to make the beloved Banana Slug UCSC’s official mascot.
The Holt Ironmen mascot, senior Sayde Wright.
Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School in Montgomery is known as the RAMs. But the nickname is not based on the animal. The school, which has a high academic standard, particularly in mathematics, uses the name RAM to signify the computer term Random Access Memory.
AMCats Antelopes Archers Armadillos Arrows Auggies Battlin’ Beavers Bees Big Green Billikens Black Flies Black Squirrels Bloodhounds Blue Hose Boxers Bridges Bullets
Anna Maria College (Mass.) Grand Canyon Univ. (Ariz.) U. Nebraska-Kearney (Neb.) Moody Bible Institute (Ill.) Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) Ursuline College (Ohio) Augsburg College (Minn.) Blackburn College (Ill.) Savannah Col. of Art/Design (Ga.) St. Ambrose University (Iowa) Dartmouth College (N.H.) St. Louis University (Mo.) College of the Atlantic (Maine) Haverford College (Pa.) (baseball team only) John Jay College (N.Y.) Presbyterian College (S.C.) Pacific University (Ore.) Brooklyn College (N.Y.) Gettysburg College (Pa.)
Dirtbags Cal State Univ. of Long Beach (Calif.) (Baseball team only) Dons U. of San Francisco (Calif.) Ducks University of Oregon (Ore.) Dustdevils Texas A&M International (Texas) Flying Fleet Erskine College (S.C.) Flying Queens Wayland Baptist (Texas) (women’s basketball team) Frogs Hampshire College (Mass.) Gauchos California-Santa Barbara (Calif.) Gold Nuggets Xavier University/La. (La.) (women’s team) Golden Seals Sheldon Jackson College (Alaska) Gold Rush Xavier University/La. (La.) (men’s team) Gorloks Webster University (Mo.) Great Danes University at Albany (N.Y.) Green Terror McDaniel College (Md.) Hatters Stetson University (Fla.) Horned Frogs Texas Christian Univ. (Texas)
Humpback Whales Alaska-Southeast (Alaska) Hustlin’ Owls Oregon Institute Tech (Ore.) Inferno Alverno College (Wis.) Jackrabbits South Dakota St. (S.D.) Jaspers Manhattan College (N.Y.) Javelinas Texas A&M-Kingsville (Texas) Jumbos Tufts University (Mass.) Koalas Columbia College (S.C.) Kohawks Coe College (Iowa) Leathernecks Western Illinois Univ. (Ill.) (men’s team) Lemmings Bryant & Stratton (Ohio) Loggers University of Puget Sound (Wash.) Lord Jeffs Amherst College (Mass.) Maccabees Yeshiva University (N.Y.) Magicians Lemoyne-Owen Col. (Tenn.) Matadors Cal State U.-Northridge (Calif.) Mean Green North Texas (Texas) Medics Thomas Jefferson Univ. (Pa.) Mighty Macs Immaculata College (Pa.)
Mighty Oaks Oakland City Univ. (Calif.) Monks St. Joseph’s College (Maine) Moose Univ. Maine-Augusta (Maine) Muleriders Southern Arkansas Univ. (Ark.) Mules Central Missouri St. Univ. (Mo.) Nads Rhode Island School of Design (R.I.) Nanooks Univ. Alaska-Fairbanks (Alaska) Northern Lights Montana State Univ. (Mont.) Paladins Furman University (S.C.) Peacocks St. Peter’s College (N.J.) Penmen Southern New Hampshire (N.H.) Pilgrims New England College (N.H.) Pipers Hamline University (Minn.) Pomeroys Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) Prairie Fire Knox College (Ill.) Praying Colonels Centre College (Ky.) Prairie Stars U. of Illinois-Springfield (Ill.) Purple Aces University of Evansville (Ind.) Radicals Antioch College (Ohio) Ragin’ Cajuns Louisiana at Lafayette (La.)
Railsplitters The Rock Sand Sharks Sea Aggies Setters Silverswords Skylights Spiders Stormy Petrels Sugar Bears Super Bees Tars Threshers Toppers Trolls Webbies White Mules Wonder Boys
Lincoln Memorial Univ. (Tenn.) Slippery Rock Univ. (Pa.) South Carolina-Beaufort (S.C.) Texas A&M Univ.-Galveston (Texas) Pace University (N.Y.) Chaminade University (Hawaii) Montana St. Univ. Northern (Mont.) Univ. of Richmond (Vir.) Oglethorpe University (Ga.) Univ. Central Arkansas (Ark.) (women’s team) University of Baltimore (Md.) Rollins College (Fla.) Bethel College (Kan.) Blue Mountain College (Miss.) Trinity Christian College (Ill.) Webb Institute (N.Y.) Colby College (Maine) Arkansas Tech (Ark.) (men’s team)
Montana School Mascot Belfry Bats Sweet Grass Co. Sheep Herders Chinook Sugar Beeters Havre Blue Ponies Nashua Porcupines Nebraska Columbus Discoverers Cozad Haymakers Holdrege Dusters Pender Pendragons Nevada Cheyenne Desert Shields Dayton Dust Devils Gabbs Tarantulas Mineral Co. Serpents Tonopah Fighting Muckers New Jersey Belvidere County Seaters Fort Lee Bridgemen Phillipsburg Stateliners St. Augustine Prep Hermits Tea Neck Highwaymen New Mexico Carlsbad Cavemen New York Doane Stuart Thunderchicken Fort Edward Flying Forts Far Rockaway Sea Horses Stuyvesant Hitmen Edison Inventors Sleepy Hollow Headless Horsemen Wadleigh Harlem Hellfighters Warrensburg Burgers North Carolina Forsyth County Furies Grimsley Whirlies LeJeune Devilpups Bishop McGuiness Villians Scotland Fighting Scots North Dakota Adams-Edmore Prowlers Belfield Bantams Central Cass Squirrels Grafton Spoilers Valley City Hi-Liners Ohio Crooksville Ceramics Harding Presidents New Philadelphia Fighting Quakers Norwalk Truckers Old Fort Stockaders Normandy Invaders Shenandoah Zeps Unioto Sherman Tanks Oklahoma Alva Goldbugs Beaver Dusters Chickasha Fighting Chicks Eufaula Ironheads Haskell Haymakers Oregon Bend Lava Bears Huntington Locomotives Episcopal Aardvarks Tillamook Cheese Makers Pennsylvania Aliquippa Quips Biglerville Canners Bishop McCort Crimson Crushers Boiling Springs Bubblers Canon-McMillan Big Macs Franklin Electrons Hatboro-Horsham Mad Hatters Highspire Steamrollers North East Grape Pickers Northhampton Koncrete Kids Springdale Dynamos Punxsutawney Woodchucks Williamsport Millionaires Rhode Island Coventry Knotty Oakers East Providence Townies North Kingstown Skippers Bishop Keough Koalas South Carolina Barnwell Warhorses Lamar Silver Foxes Marion Swamp Foxes Mullin Auctioneers Travelers Rest Devil Dogs South Dakota Beresford Watchdog Dell Rapids Quarriers Newell Irrigators Parker Pheasants Rapid City Central Cobblers Sturgis Scoopers Tennessee Webb Feet Hendersonville Commandos St. Mary’s Turkeys Harpeth Hall Honeybears St. Cecilia Scarabs Texas Frost Polar Bears GrandView Zebras Hamlin Pied Pipers Hutto Hippos Killeen Kangaroos Mesquite Skeeters Winters Blizzards Yoe Yoemen Utah Jordan Beetdiggers Davis Darts Price Carbon Dinos Meridian Mongooses St. Marks Winged Lions Vermont Burlington Seahorses Fair Haven Slaters Montpelier Solons Proctor Phantoms Randolph Galloping Ghosts Virginia Annandale Atoms Fluvanna County Flying Flucos Hampton Crabbers John Marshall Justices Madeira Snails Washington Camas Papermakers Illwaco Fishermen Ridgefield Spudders Oakville Acorns Pateros Billiegoats West Virginia Clay-Battelle CeeBees Musselman Applemen Gauley Bridge Travellers Man Hillbillies Madonna Blue Dons Wisconsin Ashland Oredockers Bayfield Trollers Memorial Old Abes Fall Creek Crickets Horicon Marshmen Wabeno Logrollers Wyoming Campbell Co. Camels Farson-Eden Pronghorns Glen Rock Herders Newcastle Dogies