Nicknames and Mascots

T

TahoeHorn

1,000+ Posts
Do you have rules for what makes a good nickname or mascot? I do.

Here are the rules for nicknames:

1. No Humanoids.
No Sooners, Red Raiders, Aggies, Fighting Irish, Demon Deacons, Trojans, Volunteers, or Mountaineers. No human nicknames or mascots. Period.

2. No inanimate objects.
No Crimcon Tide, Hurricanes, Golden Tornado or Green Wave. Damn sure no colors like Crimson or Cardinal. Nothing stupid like a Laker or Jazz. Or the Zips.

3. Nothing that every sixth team on the planet has. Ideally it should be unigue. No Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wildcats, Eagles or Bulldogs. (I'll give a pass to you if you were first like Yale or Princeton.) And a Bruin is a bear and a Nittany Lion is a lion. So is a cougar.

4. Nothing that has bad connotations. Trojans and Rainbows violate a previous rule but even if they didn't this is not good.

5. Ideally it should be fierce, or at least cute or have character. Mustangs, Broncos, or Rams aren't terrible but fall a notch short. Longhorns or Falcons are a notch short but have other redeeming traits. (See below.) Cute is hard to judge. Clever promotion counts for a lot.

6. Bonus points are scored if there is a regional or other identity. When you say gators you think Florida. Longhorns are from Texas. An Air Force Falcon is very cool. Wolverines are from the Great Lakes area.

So, of 119 college football teams which get a passing grade? In no order:
- Gators
- Wolverines
- Longhorns
- Badgers
- Jayhawks
- Ducks?
- Buffaloes?
- Gamecocks
- Bearcats?
- Terrapins
- Horned Frogs
- Razorbacks
- Yellow Jackets
- Beavers?
- Owls?
- Golden Gophers (But Gophers would be better)
- Falcons (but only because it's Air Force)
- Thundering Herd?
- Bobcats?

I love the Mequite Skeeters. The UC Santa Barbara Banana Slugs get a high cuteness score.

As far as mascots, the primary rule is that it needs to go with the nickname. No collie dogs if that's not your nickname. No War Eagles if you're the Tigers. And if you have a bad nickname your mascot, by definition, is bad. It's very bad if it's some goofy humanoid guy in costume. Riding a white horse or a covered wagon doesn't fix a thing. If your mascot can be seen at games that's a bonus. A skeeter, yellow jacket or even terrapin doesn't get the bonus. A buffalo that runs on the field gets a big bonus. A war eagle that flies would be good if you were the war eagles.
 
While I certianly haven't thought this out as thoroughly as you, I am cool with a nickname that signifies the state as a whole like Vols or Cornhuskers. Beats the hell out of the unoriginal Tigers or Wildcats.
 
I don't think the No Humanoids is a good rule. Between that and the No Inanimate Objects rule, it pretty much says only animals are allowed. Volunteers and Mountaineers are pretty good.

One good rule is that your mascot must be plural. No singulars and especially no collective uncountables. Singular stuff like "Green Wave" is annoying but at least you can still say "He's a Green Wave" like you can say "He's a Longhorn" or "He's a Sooner" - you can't say "He's a Fighting Irish" or "He's a Thunder" or "He's a Jazz" or "He's a Crimson Tide"

While we're at Nicknames and Mascots, how about Helmets?

1)Letters are dumb. Anybody can just put a capitol letter or abbreviation on a helmet. If the letters are part of some other logo (like Colorado or Utah), that's ok. UTEP gets a partial pass for having the T be the miner's pick, but having the logo part of the abbreviation is not as good as vise versa.

2)Stuff unrelated to your mascot is dumb, too, unless it symbolizes something else important about your state/school. If your Nickname is a Cyclone, there should not be a bird on your helmet. The Dallas Cowboys' star is ok because it represents the Lone Star State. Air Force has a lightening bolt and not a falcon, but it represents a powerful force in the air, so that's ok also.

3)Sticker add-ons for players who achieve various criteria throughout the year = fail.
 
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I approve of the Long Beach State 'Dirtbags'













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There should be bonus points for a performing mascot. When I was at USAFA (Class of 1968), the falcon flew at halftime - one handler released the bird from the top of the pressbox while another handler was at midfield with the lure. That made a pretty nice show, watching the falcon approach 200 mph in a dive to the lure.

I don't recall every seeing the Colorado Buffalo fly...

HHD
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Blasphemy! Whats wrong with weather phenomena?
The Winters Blizzards has got to rank right up there with the best high school mascot names in the state. Right after the Ball High School Golden Tornados, of course.
 
Jayhawks are actually a humaniod, if you know your history. Which makes the logo and the physical mascot inaccurate. That's two rules broken, at least according to the OP, so it should be off the list.
 
As long as the mascot isn't derogatory or defaming in anyway, I don't care what it is.

I like the Irish! But it would not work so well with something like the fightin' buddists, or Italians or some such. For basketball, I like the Runnin' Rhinos.
 
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Spring Branch...why do want to get down on the Beavers like that?
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Actually, I think a match up between the Beavers and the Gamecocks would be very exciting.













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Back in the day when I played ball at Concordia, we were the Stags. Even though it was a male antlered deer, it was still original. I hate the Concordia Tornadoes mascot now.
 
How’s this odd, weird, and goofy list of U.S. colleges and universities nicknames?

Akron Zips, Sand Alderson-Broaddus Battlers, Alvernia Crusaders, Amherst Lord Jeffs, Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils, Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys, Augsburg Auggies, Austin Kangaroos, Austin Peay Governors, Bethany (KS) Swedes, Bethel (KS) Threshers, Bluefield State Big Blues and Lady Blues, Boston University Terriers, Bowdoin Polar Bears, Brigham Young-Hawaii Seasiders, Cal Lutheran Kingsmen and Regals, California State University-Long Beach Dirtbags, California U (PA) Vulcans, Campbell Fighting Camels, Canisius Golden Griffins, Carnegie Mellon Tartans, Centenary Gentlemen and Ladies, Chaminade Silverswords, Chattanooga Mocs and Lady Mocs, Chicago Maroons, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags and Athenas, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and Lady Chants, Colorado Mines Orediggers, Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves, Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers, Creighton Bluejays, DePaul Blue Demons, Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, District of Columbia Firebirds, Edinboro Fighting Scots, Evansville Purple Aces, Fairfield Stags, Furman Paladins, Gettysburg Bullets, Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix, Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties, Henderson State Reddies, Hofstra Pride, Hope College Flying Dutchmen, Illinois College Blue Boys, Indiana State Sycamores, Indiana University-Southeast Grenadiers, Iona Gaels, Ithaca Bombers, Jamestown Jimmies, Kent State Golden Flashes, Kentucky State Thorobreds, Kenyon Lords, Lake Forest Foresters, Lesley Lynx, Lincoln Memorial Loras Duhawks, Longwood Lancers, Loyola (Chicago) Ramblers, Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals, Marist Red Foxes, Marshall Thundering Herd, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, Millersville Marauders, Missouri-St. Louis Rivermen, Missouri Western State College Griffons, Murray State Racers, Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves, New England Noreasters, New Mexico Tech Pygmies, New Orleans Privateers, New York Violets, Northern Kentucky Norse, Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels, Ohio Wesleyan Battlin' Bishops, Pacific Lutheran Lutes, Pacific University Boxers, Penn State University-Albington Little Johns, Pepperdine Waves, Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, Pratt Institute Canoneers, Presbyterian Blue Hose, Purdue University-North Central Centaurs, Richmond Spiders, Rowan Profs, Slippery Rock The Rock, St. Ambrose Fighting Bees, St. Bonaventure Bonnies, St. John's (MN) Johnnies, St. John's (NY) Red Storm, St. Olaf Oles, Saint Peter's Peacocks, St. Thomas (MN) Tommies, San Francisco Dons, Scottsdale Artichokes, South Dakota Mines Hardrockers, SE Oklahoma State Savage Storm, Southern Arkansas Muleriders, Southern Illinois Salukis, Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm, Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, Stetson Hatters, Texas-Brownsville Scorpions, Texas-Dallas Comets, Toledo Rockets, Trinity Bantams, Tufts Jumbos, UC-Irvine Anteaters, UC-San Diego Tritons, UC-Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, University of Alaska-Southeast Humpback Whales, University of Illinois at Chicago Railsplitters, Vermont Catamounts, Viterbo V-Hawks, VMI Keydets, Washburn Ichabods, Webster Gorloks, West Florida Argonauts, Western Carolina Catamounts, Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks and Westerwinds, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Whittier Poets, Wichita State Shockers, Widener Pride, William & Mary Tribe, Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds, Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers, Wooster Fighting Scots, Xavier Musketeers, and the Youngstown State Penguins.
 
This is a good thread. I think the OP was a little harsh in criteria. Any nickname which is derived from historical considerations is acceptable to me: Huskers, Shockers, Hoosiers, Volunteers. I also like regional mascots: Western Carolina Catamounts, San Saba 'Dillos. Perhaps the most intriguing "name" for me is Punahou Prep in Honolulu, the fighting "Buffnblu."

Absolutely cannot stand Wildcats, Bobcats or the such. Midland College Chaps (Westlake and UTSA not to be overlooked). To that end what the **** is a Red Raider? You can't just make up a name. The Central Poly Agricultural Gooberdooshes?

Lastly, of the myriad of agricultural schools mandated and funded after the Civil War, what dumbass thought aggy was so original? Hell, half of them gave the name up.

All time greatest sports nickname has to be the Brooklyn Trolly Dodgers imo.
 
Reminds me of another interesting mascot--the New York Knickerbockers.

Knickerbockers? Seriously? The team is named after a pair of pants? And, not just pants, but knee-length trousers. For men.
 
A few Texas high school mascots that pass the test, with high cuteness factors:

El Campo Ricebirds.
Hereford Whitefaces.
Itasca Wampus Cats.
Round Rock Dragons
PSJA Chupacabras.

(OK, I made that last one up. But there really should be a team called the Chupacabras.)
 
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