Ethan Trex
11 Colleges That Changed Their Mascots
by Ethan Trex - September 10, 2009 - 10:30 AM

With college football season starting up, we thought it might be interesting to take a look back at a few colleges who have changed their nicknames or mascots. Here are a few squads that have changed mascots, either because of controversy or the emergence of a better alternative.

keggy1. Dartmouth College
The Ivy League school abandoned its unofficial Indian mascot in the 1970s in favor of going by the longtime nickname “the Big Green.” Students missed having a real mascot, though, so in 2003 members of the humor magazine Dartmouth Jack-o-Lantern created a new one: Keggy the Keg. As you might imagine, he’s an anthropomorphic beer keg.

2. University of Evansville
Until the 1924-25 basketball season, the University of Evansville’s teams went by the bland nickname “the Pioneers.” During a game in which Evansville routed Louisville, though, the Cardinals’ coach remarked to the Pioneers that “You didn’t have four aces up your sleeve, you had five!” A sports editor at the Evansville Courier heard the story and thought it was so funny he started referring to the school’s teams by their current nickname, the Purple Aces.

3. Carthage College
Like St. John’s and UMass, the small Wisconsin liberal arts school used to be known as “the Redmen.” But while St. John’s became the Red Storm in 1994 and UMass has been the Minutemen since 1972, Carthage got creative to avoid offending Native Americans while still paying homage to the school’s red jerseys. The teams went from being the Redmen to the Red Men while removing any Native American imagery from their logo, and the NCAA gave the revamped name the thumbs-up.

4. Miami University
Ben Roethlisberger’s alma mater went by the nickname “the Redskins” until 1997, when the school switched to the RedHawks for obvious reasons.

5. University of Hawaii at Manoa
Rainbows-FootballUntil 2000 all of Hawaii’s teams were known as the Rainbow Warriors, but not all athletes loved being affiliated with the rainbow. Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida said, “It’s part of the gay community, their flags and so forth. Some of the student athletes had some feelings in regard to that.”

In response to these homophobic “feelings,” the school revamped its logo into a rainbow-less block letter “H” and let each team select its own mascot. As a result, the football team is now just the “Warriors,” while the basketball team is the “Rainbow Warriors” and the apparently progressive baseball team is simply the “Rainbows.”

6. Eastern Washington University
In 1973 the student body decided that its mascot, the Savages, had to go. Since then the school’s teams have been known as the Eagles.

7. St. Bonaventure University
Prior to 1979, St. Bonaventure’s men’s teams were known as the Brown Indians. Believe it or not, that wasn’t even the most offensive name on campus; the women’s squads went by “the Brown Squaws” until 1979. In 2001 one former female athlete at St. Bonaventure told Indian Country Today, “[A] Seneca chief and clan mothers came over from the reservation and asked us to stop using the name because it meant ‘vagina.’ We almost died of embarrassment.” Since then the teams have been known as the Bonnies.

elon8. Elon University
Until 1999 the North Carolina school’s teams went by the less-than-intimidating moniker “the Fighting Christians.” However, as the school started to transition to Division I competition it needed a new mascot, which ended up being the Phoenix.

9. Stanford University
The Pac-10 power’s teams were known as the Indians until 1972, when the school dropped the nickname in favor of the Cardinals. The new nickname was supposed to refer to the school’s red color rather than the bird, but the plural form threw people off. Thus, in 1981 the school changed its nickname again, this time to the singular Cardinal. Stanford’s signature zany tree mascot burst onto the scene in the post-Indians period when the school didn’t really have one. Members of the band took it upon themselves to come up with a new mascot, and tried out several unsuccessful ideas like the Steaming Manhole and the French Fry. When they trotted out the Tree, though, the student body quickly fell in love, and the new mascot tradition started.

10. Wright State University
Sometimes a school’s nickname stays the same while the mascot changes. The Wright State Raiders rallied behind Rowdy Raider, a red-bearded Viking from 1986 to 1997, when the pillaging sailor found himself replaced by a wolf. The school’s teams still call themselves the Raiders, though.

11. The College of William & Mary
William & Mary was another school that called its teams the Indians until the 1990s, when it changed to the Tribe. The nickname placated the NCAA, but the team’s new logo, a “W” and an “M” adorned with two tribal feathers, seemed to still suggest a Native American element. NCAA regulation eventually forced the school to drop the feathers, but the Tribe nickname remains.

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Comments (66)

  1. My alma mater, Arkansas State University, used to be the Indians, but now they are Red Devils, I think.

    posted by Wendy on 9-10-2009 at 10:53 am

  2. As someone from the Champaign-Urbana area, I’d be remiss not to point out the University of Illinois’ beloved Chief Illiniwek, who was retired amid great controversy in the community:
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Illiniwek

    posted by SpaceMonkeyX on 9-10-2009 at 10:55 am

  3. The University of West Georgia used to the the Braves, but the tiny college couldn’t afford the lawsuit, so they became the Wolves. It is rumored, however, they considered becoming the West Georgia Fire Ants.

    posted by LT on 9-10-2009 at 11:02 am

  4. Athletes at the University of Southern Mississippi were the “Southerners” for many years with “General Nat” as the mascot. Noting that “General Nat” was the representation of General Nathaniel Bedford Forrest (Confederate General and founder of the Ku Klux Klan), the school held a contest to change the mascot. Today, the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss proudly cheer without any lingering Mississippi stereotypes.

    posted by Eddy on 9-10-2009 at 11:02 am

  5. The University of Central Florida, when it opened as Florida Technological University in 1968, had the Citronaut as its original mascot. It looked like a little spaceman with an orange for a body (I linked the picture in my name), presumably chosen since we’re so close to the Space Coast.

    Students hated it and within a few years, after a student vote, we became the Knights of Pegasus (or simply “Knights,” for short).

    posted by Ell on 9-10-2009 at 11:04 am

  6. Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, has changed from Indians to Red Wolves. I see a billboard for it everyday on the way home from work.

    posted by Nicole on 9-10-2009 at 11:32 am

  7. Marquette has had a ton of changes too. Before ’62 there were different mascots and names for different teams – The Golden Avalanche, The Warriors, The Bluw & Gold, and The Hilltoppers. After ’62 until ’94 they were all the Warriors, now they’re the Golden Eagles. A little late jumping on the politically correct bandwagon :)

    posted by melly on 9-10-2009 at 11:39 am

  8. Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA (my alma mater) change from the Classics the the Falcons in about 2001. Since no one could ever figure out exactly what a “classic” was, it was a nice change. Also, the logo was a giant letter C. Not so much fun to buy sweatshirts of.

    posted by Karen on 9-10-2009 at 11:41 am

  9. i am a proud Florida State Seminole and found it ridiculous for Illinois to change its mascot name, isnt the state of Illinois named after the tribe? should the state change its name as well? either way i feel the NCAA is ridiculous and if u disagree consider the fact that the NCAA would be hard pressed to make Notre Dame change its Fighting Irish mascot.

    posted by dre on 9-10-2009 at 11:46 am

  10. Southeast Missouri State University were the Indians (men’s) and Otahkians (women’s) until about 2004 or 2005, I can’t remember exactly when they switched. They are now the Redhawks.

    posted by Dustin Fritsche on 9-10-2009 at 11:53 am

  11. Marquette has an interesting addition to the story. Melly is right in that there were all sorts of names for the teams before ’94 but a few years ago (when Marquette was officially the golden eagles) an alumni made a public statement that he would donate a LARGE sum of money if the school returned to the warrior mascot. A number of student and alumni surveys were given and a committee was formed. At that point it was announced that Marquette would no longer be the Golden Eagles but instead “The Gold” – This prompted a HUGE uproar and the school back tracked a few days later. Then, after TONS more surveys and an official vote on what the mascot should be it was determined that Marquette would stay the Golden Eagles.

    posted by Mara on 9-10-2009 at 11:53 am

  12. The Seminoles can stay that way because the Seminole tribe endorses FSU’s use of the mascot because of the financial and other considerations given to the tribe and members of the tribe; there were no members of the Illini tribe left, and the closest relative (Dakota Sioux, I think) don’t get the cash and thus didn’t give the endorsement.

    That’s probably a bit simplified, but you get the gist.

    posted by PC Pundit on 9-10-2009 at 11:59 am

  13. My alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University, kept the nickname of the Raiders but changed the mascot from Nathan Bedford Forrest to just a stallion.

    posted by Zane on 9-10-2009 at 12:04 pm

  14. William & Mary is actually in the process of determining a new mascot, since Tribe is more of a nebulous concept than a crazy representation people can can get excited about.

    My personal fav so far is “Champ the Ampersand.”

    posted by Steph on 9-10-2009 at 12:10 pm

  15. My alma mater, Slippery Rock University, once had a rock-looking thing as their mascot. Unfortunately, the students hated the “wet gym sock” so much that one day it was “kidnapped” and never seen again. The school went years without a mascot until they became the Pride, in which Rocky the lion became the new mascot. The lion also went through some changes. He originally looked like a normal, sandy-colored lion until my final year, when the school decided to “pump” him up and changed his colors to green and gray. I personally thought Rocky looked like he’d rolled around in radioactive waste.

    posted by Vanessa on 9-10-2009 at 12:12 pm

  16. Kent State started out as the Silver Foxes until 1926, when they became the Golden Flashes. Their colors were purple and orange until a mishap at the cleaners caused the uniforms to become blue and gold.

    posted by Rachel on 9-10-2009 at 12:15 pm

  17. I attended Eastern Michigan University; they were known as the Hurons for a long time, but by the time I started there in 2001, they’d changed to the Eagles.

    posted by Krie on 9-10-2009 at 12:16 pm

  18. Teams at York University in Toronto used to be known as the “York Yeoman” ( or Yeowomen)…the explanations were both varied and humourous. They are now known collectivly as the York Lions..

    posted by Chris Thorpe on 9-10-2009 at 12:43 pm

  19. How in the world is not wanting to be associated with homosexuality “homophobic”? What a ridiculous knee-jerk comment.

    posted by Dan on 9-10-2009 at 12:46 pm

  20. Dustin–
    I was there in the middle of SEMO’s mascot change: the initial suggestion to change the mascot came in the fall of 2004, and the official change the following year during the 05/06 semester break.
    However, the band is still the Golden Eagles, and the pommie/dance team are still the Sundancers. They also changed the name of the school paper from “The Capaha Arrow” to just “The Arrow”.
    I still think we should have gone with the student-suggested mascot: The Squirrels…they are everywhere on campus and even caused 2 massive power outages.

    posted by Mary on 9-10-2009 at 12:47 pm

  21. As a Raider alumn, I would love to know just why Wright State went from the (amazing cool looking) Viking to the wimpy wolf we have now. Rowdy isn’t even particularly fierce-and legend has it he was based off of one of the professor’s dogs.

    posted by 'cole on 9-10-2009 at 1:06 pm

  22. Re PC Pundit’s previous post: \The Seminoles can stay that way because the Seminole tribe endorses FSU’s use of the mascot because of the financial and other considerations given to the tribe and members of the tribe…\ Neither the Tribe nor its members are compensated by Florida State University for use of the Seminole name and symbols. The Seminoles value their close relationship with the school, with a strong focus placed on educational opportunities for tribal members.

    posted by Gary on 9-10-2009 at 1:07 pm

  23. Sort of off topic, but there is a very funny video on youtube featuring Dartmouth and Keggy the Keg is in it! It’s called “Drinking Time”. I would link to it but I’m at work and can’t go on youtube to pull up the video’s link. But go to youtube and search Drinking Time, it should come up. It’s pretty funny!

    posted by Mavis on 9-10-2009 at 1:14 pm

  24. Not a mascot change, per se, but a few years ago at my alma mater there was some dissension about whether the sports teams should be called the Harding Bison or the Harding Bisons. It was eventually decided (supposedly by the cheerleaders—an issue in itself) that “Bisons” with an “s” sounded better. There was some genuine rage among English majors and other people who cared about grammar, but I think most everyone has stopped caring by now.

    posted by Kelsey on 9-10-2009 at 1:34 pm

  25. Before becoming known as the Cornhuskers, Nebraska’s teams had several, um, “unique” nicknames. My favorites are the Mighty Bugeaters and the Mankilling Mastadons. Those two seem more fearsome than a farmer husking his corn to me.

    posted by Jonathan on 9-10-2009 at 1:57 pm

  26. My alma mater, Denison University, was historically the Big Reds, complete with Native American imagery. During my years there, they were simply “The Big Red” – the big red what? Nobody really knew. During my senior year, there was a vote among the student body for a mascot. The winning entry was the “Big Red Buzzards” due to the large number of Turkey Vultures that roost on Swasey Chapel. However, the university decided on the “Dension Bulldogs.”

    posted by Liz on 9-10-2009 at 2:17 pm

  27. @mara I lived in Milwaukee when Marquette was given the offer to change the name back to the Warriors. It was well over a million dollars (how could they turn that down?!) and when the university tried “the gold” the outcry in the city was huge. They basically became the laughing stock of the alumni, students, local media, etc, which is why they went back to Golden Eagles so quickly. Many alumni still refuse to adopt Golden Ealges and wear their old Warriors tee’s to the games. Personally, I still don’t see what’s wrong with “warriors,” if they don’t use an offensive mascot. . .

    LOL @ Recaptcha taffeta techniques

    posted by Pants on 9-10-2009 at 2:21 pm

  28. When I attended Eastern Washington University in the late 80′s/early 90′s, some of the paving stones that lead up to the athletic center still had the image of a pony-tailed Native American waving a tomahawk carved into them. Classy

    The atheletic center underwent a huge remodel in the early 00′s….I have a feeling they are a memory now.

    posted by Gidget on 9-10-2009 at 2:30 pm

  29. My step-brother’s alma mater, Lehigh University, changed from the Engineers to the Mountain Hawks some time back. The new logo showed a hawk with crampons and climbing rope, to emphasize the ‘mountain’ part, which just raised a lot of questions- why can’t the hawk just fly to the top of the mountain?

    posted by Jim on 9-10-2009 at 2:44 pm

  30. The rainbow was not initially a symbol of homosexuality. In Hawaii, you can’t go a day without seeing a rainbow it seems. Because gay pride has adopted the rainbow as their symbol does not mean that it can’t mean other things. In my world, a rainbow is a sign of God’s promise. I think it is a bit homophobic to read “gay” into everything pink (lambda), purple, or rainbow. It’s a shame that the school, or the students, whoever, decided they would rather change their logo because another group had also adopted it.

    posted by Hyacinth on 9-10-2009 at 2:44 pm

  31. Chris Thorpe-

    -Yes, a Yeoman has several meanings. Historically, they would guard the King’s land in case of an attack-and if one happened, they called for the King’s “real” warriors to fight. Not exactly the most fearsome team name you could think of.

    As a York alumna, I-and everyone else-was relieved when they changed the name to Lions!

    posted by Christielea on 9-10-2009 at 3:00 pm

  32. @Pants -
    Marquette did think about using “warriors” without the offensive logo but when they surveyed people they discovered that even if the school didn’t endorse the old logo it would become more popular and they felt that even more fans would wear old tee’s or create new “warrior” shirts (this was not good in the eyes of the administration). In addition there was talk that if they changed back to the warriors just for the large donation they would be sending the message that they would do anything for money – and they would have a problem when someone came in the next few years and offered another large donation to change the mascot again.

    On a side note – I was a student during the mascot craziness and I remember people protesting in front of the alumni center when “the gold” was announced! It was funny, there were even people saying that our new mascot would be two guys dripping in gaudy fake gold jewelry named “bling” and “bling”

    posted by Mara on 9-10-2009 at 3:23 pm

  33. My alma mater, which is sadly no more, is Bradford College in Bradford, Mass. When I started, our mascot was the Buccaneers, but by the time I’d graduated, it had changed to… The Fighting Squirrels. Yeah, we had some vicious little creatures on campus!

    posted by Bethany on 9-10-2009 at 3:25 pm

  34. @Pants – yea, my boyfriend is one of the die hard Warriors, and the source of all my Marquette knowledge. And I agree, a “warrior” can be any race, religion or creed, so whats so wrong with the name if they don’t have an offensive mascot?

    As opposed to my HS mascot – The Crusaders. Nothing says politically correct like naming your team after a bunch of people who raped and pillaged their way to the Holy Land.

    ReCaptcha- Gandhi Gilbert, Mohandas’ younger fatter brother?

    posted by melly on 9-10-2009 at 3:26 pm

  35. My high school’s mascot is the Indians, and we are called the Tribe. But, an actual Native American Chief gave my school permission to use the term Indians without it being offensive. I thought it was neat.

    posted by Chelsea on 9-10-2009 at 3:40 pm

  36. Seattle University, Elgin Baylor’s alma mater in Seattle (duh) were the Chieftains until a few years ago when they changed to the Redhawks.

    posted by Krissy on 9-10-2009 at 3:48 pm

  37. No one has touched on my personal favorite. The University of California, Santa Cruz was the Sealions from their founding in the late 60′s until 1985 when the student body voted overwhelmingly to become the Banana Slugs.

    Having attended the school for two years I never saw a sea lion but I narrowly missed stepping on hundreds of Banana Slugs! Love that mascot!

    posted by B on 9-10-2009 at 4:05 pm

  38. Also, being the Indians our mascot is called the Indian Spirit and in the foyer of my school is a statue of Geronimo. Everything, and I do mean everything, is Indians.

    posted by Chelsea on 9-10-2009 at 4:14 pm

  39. I’m glad no one has done this yet, but contrary to popular belief, Auburn University has never officially been known as the “Plainsmen” and has never been referred to as the “War Eagles”.

    “War Eagle” is a cheer, not a nickname.

    posted by Patten on 9-10-2009 at 4:45 pm

  40. My old high school (Lord Beaverbrook) changed it’s name from the Beavers to the Lords. You can probably guess why.

    posted by Muerte Del Toro on 9-10-2009 at 5:00 pm

  41. The University of Mississippi decided to quit using the official mascot, “Colonel Rebel” (even though he was based on an African American gentleman, and fixture of most athletic events in the mid-20th century), and held a contest to decide the new mascot. There was such a dismal, lackluster, or even hostile reaction to the two finalists, that the school just decided to not have an official mascot on the sidelines. They still go by the nickname “Rebels.”

    posted by Weirdbeard on 9-10-2009 at 5:28 pm

  42. Bethany, my great-grandmother’s house was right across the street from Bradford College! My grandfather used to take me on the trails around the school to watch the Physics student launch rockets, and play around on the fitness equipment. I learned how to throw frisbees on campus, too. I was really sad when I heard the College was closing; I got a Bradford sweatshirt to keep the memory alive!

    posted by Tamsyn on 9-10-2009 at 5:31 pm

  43. Hey Melly,
    That’s cool! My older brother and sister-in-law are living in Marquette.

    posted by Sara in AL on 9-10-2009 at 5:33 pm

  44. Hofstra University used to be the Flying Dutchmans, and now we’re the Pride (as in a pride of lions.) What a weird jump…

    posted by Steph Lippitt on 9-10-2009 at 6:05 pm

  45. My alma mater, Bradley Univ, has a long history of mascot shenanigans, although, they are still known as the Bradley Braves.

    First, they eliminated the racist Native American mascot, and changed the logo to a large B w/ a feather band. And they changed the live mascot from a Native American to a hawk, named Tom E. Hawk.

    These too were deemed too offensive, so they opened up a suggestion poll and we voted on what we wanted (circa early 90s), and the students voted for the Fighting Squirrels, cuz there are a lot on campus and it was fun, but the staff didn’t think that was serious enough so they stuck w/ Braves, but made more changes.

    They got rid of Tom E. Hawk, and selected a bobcat as the mascot in a move that went overboard on PC. The male and female bobcat apparently look alike, and an animal is not offensive (unless the animals knew about it). And they also got rid of the feather band on the B, so we had just a block letter B as the logo.

    In 2000, they apparently discontinued the bobcat, and an ’07 survey to find a new one, failed to find anything anyone liked.

    I still say the Fightin’ Squirrels works, and you got your mascot. Imagine training a squirrel to do things, like waterski, or dunk a basketball for nuts!

    posted by Jonny on 9-10-2009 at 6:49 pm

  46. You shouldn’t have left out Ole Miss. In a highly contentious move in the 90s, the chancellor dropped Colonel Reb as the Ole Miss mascott. He also banned flying the Confederate flag inside the stadium before and during football games. He was sued over this. The only symbol of the Confederacy left is the singing of Dixie during the game.
    Mississippi still has problems, but let’s give credit where it’s due.

    posted by Harry MacLean on 9-10-2009 at 7:39 pm

  47. Though my alma matter, the University of Wisconsin (Madison), never changed our mascot from the badger. . .it should be noted that in the beginning they tried to use a real badger as the mascot :)

    posted by Melanie on 9-10-2009 at 8:26 pm

  48. The University of Michigan has tried to use real wolverines as a mascot. Now, supposedly, the only wolverines you’ll see in Michigan are in the Detroit Zoo.

    posted by Sara in AL on 9-10-2009 at 10:41 pm

  49. @Sara in AL: Common misconception, but Marquette University is not in Marquette, MI but Milwaukee, WI.

    I was thinking someone should put MU’s story in here. It was actually during my class’s commencement speech that the speaker, an alumnus and trustee, announced that he and another alumnus would each donate $1 million if MU changed the mascot back. He did this without informing anyone in the administration, and like others have said an uproar ensued with ridiculous consequences including the whole “gold” fiasco.

    posted by Patty on 9-10-2009 at 10:44 pm

  50. Arizona State University (then known as Arizona State College) adopted the nickname Sun Devils and the mascot Sparky in 1946. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_State_Sun_Devils), the nickname was said to have come from New Milford, Connecticut sportswriter Ryan Drost who wrote “Lets call them Sun Devils,” and the name caught on at the school. Former Disney illustrator and Arizona State alumnus Bert Anthony designed Sparky, which is why the image of Sparky evokes the visage of Walt Disney. Prior to adopting Sparky, Arizona State’s mascot was the Bulldog, which the school adopted in the 1920′s to replace the Owl.

    posted by Ken Akerman on 9-10-2009 at 11:42 pm

  51. My school, St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, has had a bunch of different mascots. When it started as a high school in 1878 they were the Saints, then Tigers. After that it was the Mountain Men, the Ed Men, and current I am a Hilltopper. We are on the highest hill in Austin proper, so that is where that came from. The actual mascot is a goat named Topper. I believe that happened when someone brought a ram to one of the basketball games a while ago.

    posted by Gracie on 9-11-2009 at 12:11 am

  52. Interesting how a certain error keeps cropping up over time.

    Nowhere, in any American Indian/”Native” American language, has the word squaw ever meant vagina. This nonsense was started in the early 70′s by Sanders and Peek, and was erroneous from the start. Ever since then, linguists expert in American tribal languages have discredited the theory, yet it just keeps popping up.

    In fact, the term squaw, although sometimes used in a flippant way, does not come from any derogatory basis and is, in fact, Algonquin for . . . wife. That’s right. It means what most people actually thinks it means.

    Note the former athlete claiming an Seneca chief told them squaw meant vagina is not identified. The story is so suspect – a true Seneca chief would not make such a bizarre error on his own language – that the person who claimed it most likely had nothing to do with the St. Bonaventure University athletic department at that time and is blowing smoke out a particular orifice.

    Shame on mentalfloss on this one.

    posted by Drew on 9-11-2009 at 10:24 am

  53. My alma mater, Southeastern State University, was still called the savages when I graduated in 2001. I was recently told that they are now the “savage storm” which everyone agrees is prety lame, but better than what we had before.

    posted by MGTerry on 9-11-2009 at 11:25 am

  54. Should have been Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Sorry… I guess you can see what my education got me. :)

    posted by MGTerry on 9-11-2009 at 11:27 am

  55. a little more info on #8,
    As a grad of then Elon College, they told the alum the name change was due to people seeing the “Fighting Christians” name and thinking we were like Liberty Baptist.

    If they came on a weekend, they would know we were not.

    Recaptcha : jellied income (?)

    posted by It's Just Dave on 9-11-2009 at 11:34 am

  56. While not a mascot change, I believe that this fits the theme:

    The historically all-women’s school Arcadia University was formerly called Beaver College.

    No further explanation is required.

    posted by n2y2 on 9-11-2009 at 12:46 pm

  57. Apparently my college, Springfield College, used to be the Warriors.

    Now we’re just the “Pride”, with a gender neutral lion as our mascot.

    posted by Megan on 9-11-2009 at 2:37 pm

  58. I’m not sure if this is actually true but apparently Furman University in Greenville, SC used to be the Christian Knights until someone realized the acronym for Furman University Christian Knights spelled a dirty word. They are now known as the Furman University Paladins but still sell shirts with the giant letters \FU\ on them!

    posted by Sean on 9-14-2009 at 11:02 am

  59. Miami University was forced to change their mascot by the NCAA, but did not want to. The university enjoys a particularly friendly relationship with their namesake, the Miami tribe of Native Americans, who are (were) honored by the name.

    posted by Jack on 9-23-2009 at 11:12 am

  60. The mascot for the Arkansas State University is now the Red wolves.

    posted by Herman Sanders on 9-23-2009 at 11:14 am

  61. Why americans have so much problems naming their teams after native americans? That should be something to be proud instead of an offense. When we celebrate our high school olympics all teams are named after a tribe in a way to remember and honor the brave natives. The States are so twisted

    posted by fernando on 10-31-2009 at 6:02 pm

  62. There is a college in Florida that used to be known as the ” Florida University Christian Knights”, but their acronym was a little too offensive. They are now known as the ” Florida State Christian Paladins”.

    posted by Eric Crabb on 12-1-2009 at 4:13 pm

  63. #4- “obvious reasons”?? Please explain to this Washington Redskins fan the “obvious” reasons for such a ridiculous comment.

    posted by Scott-O on 10-15-2010 at 12:10 pm

  64. I wonder why teams like the Cleveland Indians, the Washington Redskins, or the Chicago Blackhawks can still use their native American logos. Could it be that these are now registered trademarks and any attempt to block their usage could be considered “restraint of trade”?

    Or could it be that the professional teams have enough lawyers, guns, and money (gratuitous Warren Zevon reference) to withstand the PC Police?

    -”BB”-

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 10-15-2010 at 12:32 pm

  65. New Mexico State University’s mascot for a great number of years was Pistol Pete. Interesting enough, the image used for Pistol Pete was the exact same one used for the University of Wyoming Cowboy and the Oklahoma State Cowboy, each image differing only in school colors. A few years ago someone in the NMSU administration decided that having a gun toting mascot sent out the wrong kind of message and Pistol Pete’s image was change to “Lasso Larry” as the new image was sarcastically called. Don’t know if UW and OSU followed suit.

    posted by Prism on 10-15-2010 at 4:25 pm

  66. My alma mater, Shippensburg University of PA was the Red Raiders with an Indian/ Native American Warrior as a mascot. In the ealry 9o’s they changed to a ship. Odd in a landlocked town, but I guess it is a play on Ship U.

    posted by Sue on 10-19-2010 at 2:22 pm

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