Origins of some college team nicknames...and just some funny team names as well

[ram29jackson]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/top-25-unusual-college-football-team-nicknames-170500963--ncaaf.html

10. Arkansas Razorbacks: Originally, Arkansas was nicknamed the Cardinals. That all changed after the 1909 football team finished 7-0 and allowed only 18 points all season. Coach Hugo Bezdek said his team played like a wild band of razorback hogs. The nickname Razorbacks became official the following year.

13. Oklahoma Sooners: Oklahoma has drawn its nickname from a name used to refer to white settlers who came to the state in the late 19th century when it was Indian Territory and the federal government opened it up for settlement.

16. Southern Illinois Salukis: Southern Illnois chose the Saluki, the royal dog of Egypt, as a mascot because the southern part of the state is known as little Egypt.

21. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers: When the school became affiliated with South Carolina in the mid-1960s, a mascot was chosen to replace Trojans. Coastal Carolina adopted the Chanticleers, a name inspired by a rooster character from the literary work "Canterbury Tales."

25. North Texas Mean Green: The name Mean Green originally referred to a North Texas football team that second in the nation in rushing defense during the 1966 season. It later stuck as the official nickname for all athletic teams.

1. Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Before 1923, Wake Forest was known as the Fighting Baptists. That changed after a victory over Duke in 1923, when a newspaper reporter coined the term "Demon Deacons" to refer to Wake Forest's devilish play and fighting spirit.

 

[ram29jackson]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_college_team_nicknames_in_the_United_States

Gettysburg College Bullets

Gordon College Fighting Scots

Guilford College Quakers

Gustavus Adolphus College Golden Gusties

Loyola University of Chicago Ramblers

Why Ramblers?
Loyola University Chicago is the only NCAA Division I program with the nickname "Ramblers" for its teams. The unusual moniker originated when football was a common and popular sport at Loyola.

Before the 1920s, all college athletics teams were merely assigned their school colors, instead of a nickname. All Loyola teams were known as the "Maroon and Gold."

In 1925, the football coach, along with the student newspaper, conducted a contest to name the football team. The winning entry was "Grandees," tying into the Spanish origins of St. Ignatius of Loyola. However, the name "Grandees" failed to catch on.

In 1926, a more informal, but much more binding process, finally yielded the nickname: "Ramblers." That year, because the football team traveled so extensively across the United States, "rambling from state to state," the media dubbed Loyola as "the Ramblers."

Despite dropping football as a varsity sport in 1930, the nickname "Ramblers" is still proudly carried by today's athletics teams at Loyola University Chicago.

 

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