"Slow day" trivia question: name the college nicknames that do NOT...

[Frabjous]

end in "s." I will spot you the easy ones: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Illini. There are a bunch of 'em,
and even more if you consider the smaller colleges....No college is too obscure!

 

[BoJERJ]

Midshipmen, Cardinal

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

end in "s." I will spot you the easy ones: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Illini. There are a bunch of 'em,
and even more if you consider the smaller colleges....No college is too obscure!

Alabama Crimson Tide, Marshall Thundering Herd, Umass Minutemen, NC State Wolfpack, Stanford Cardinal, and if D3 count Hope college the flying Dutchmen.

 

[NWburbs Cats fan]

NDSU Bison, CMU Chippewa, Tulane Green Wave

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

NDSU Bison, CMU Chippewa, Tulane Green Wave

CMU as in central Michigan? Because they're the Chippewas.

 

[NWburbs Cats fan]

CMU as in central Michigan? Because they're the Chippewas.

You're right. My mistake

 

[shakes3858]

1 Fighting Illini
2 Fighting Irish
3 Nevada Wolfpack
4 NC State Wolfpack
5 Naval Academy Midshipmen
6 Alabama Crimson Tide
7 Tulane Green Wave
8 North Texas Mean Green
9 Syracuse Orange
10 Umass Minutemen
11 Tulsa Golden Hurricane
12 Stanford Cardinal
13 Marshall Thunder Terd

 

[NWburbs Cats fan]

Syracuse Orange, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Harvard Crimson, Cornell Big Red

 

[Overly_Invested_Cat]

North Dakota Fighting Sioux; Syracuse Orange or Orangemen; North Carolina State Wolfpack; St. John's Red Storm.

 

[Frabjous]

Keep going. Hofstra Pride. Lebanon Valley College Flying Dutchmen. Centenary College Gentlemen (unfortunately the women are not called the "Lady Gentlemen.")

 

[Williesfan]

North Dakota Fighting Sioux; Syracuse Orange or Orangemen; North Carolina State Wolfpack; St. John's Red Storm.

North Dakota is no longer The Fighting Sioux they are The Fighting Hawks.

 

[Medill90]

Cal Santa Cruz Banana Slug

 

[Williesfan]

Cal Santa Cruz Banana Slug

Cal State Santa Cruz are The Banana Slugs.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

To the OP's question: Bama Crimson Tide ... Stanford Cardinal ... Navy Midshipmen ... Syracuse Orange ... NC State Wolfpack ... Nevada Wolf Pack ... Tulsa Golden Hurricane ... Tulane Green Wave ... Marshall Thundering Herd ... North Texas Mean Green ... UMass Minutemen ... ND Fighting Irish ... Illinois Fighting Illini ... that's just FBS.

Those break down this way:

• Number based on weather and other natural events: 3 (tide, hurricane, wave).
• Number based on animal social structures: 3 (wolfpack, wolf pack, herd).
• Number based on just a color: 3 (cardinal, orange, mean green).
• Number based on military duties or militaristic humans: 4 (midshipmen, minutemen, fighting Irish, fighting Illini).

But why stick solely with the ones whose names do not end in 's'? Here's a more holistic breakdown of mascots throughout FBS.

First the animal mascots (71):

• feline: 19 (panther, panther, golden panther, nittany lion, jaguar, bobcat, bobcat, wildcat, wildcat, wildcat, wildcat, cougar, cougar, cougar, tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger)
• avian: 19 (owl, owl, owl, eagle, eagle, eagle, golden eagle, golden flash (eagle), falcon, falcon, jayhawk, redhawk, warhawk, hawkeye, cardinal, cardinal, duck, game cock, roadrunner)
• canine: 11 (husky, husky, husky, wolf pack, wolf pack, lobo (wolf), red wolf, bulldog, bulldog, bulldog, bulldog)
• bovine: 5 (bull, bull, longhorn cow, buffalo, thundering herd)
• equine: 3 (mustang, bronco, bronco)
• ursine: 3 (bear, bear, bruin)
• other mammal: 7 (ram, razorback, bearcat, wolverine, badger, beaver, golden gopher)
• amphibian, reptile, and insect: 4 (gator, terrapin, horned frog, yellow jacket (wasp))

Next the humans (44):

• military or militaristic: 24 (volunteer, pirate, knight, black knight, scarlet knight, midshipman, minuteman, blue devil, cavalier, commodore, spartan, spartan, trojan, trojan, vandal, blue raider, red raider, rebel, rebel, Seminole, fighting Illini, ragin' Cajun, fighting Irish, rainbow warrior)
• non-military: 20 (monarch, demon deacon, tarheel, sooner, hoosier, cowboy, cowboy, mountaineer, mountaineer, cornhusker, boilermaker, hilltopper, aggie, aggie, aggie, 49er, miner, Ute, Chippewa, Aztec)

Finally, the "others" (13):

• weather/inanimate: 5 (crimson tide, green wave, hurricane, golden hurricane, cyclone)
• color: 3 (orange, mean green, cardinal)
• means of transportation: 1 (rocket)
• plants and plant material: 1 (buckeye)
• rubber overshoes: 1 (zips)
• word of encouragement: 1 (hokie)
• unknown: 1 (sun devil...deity or mirage?)

Heh, it really is a do-nothing sort of day....

 

[Frabjous]

Do not forget the Harvard Crimson, a/k/a the Michigan of the East.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Do not forget the Harvard Crimson, a/k/a the Michigan of the East.

Michigan tech has a far better engineering program then Michigan

 

[No Chores]

Cal State Santa Cruz are The Banana Slugs.

Incorrect, The University of California Santa Cruz is the Banana Slugs, not "Cal State Santa Cruz", which, to my knowledge, does not exist.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Cal State Santa Cruz are The Banana Slugs.

Do not forget the Harvard Crimson, a/k/a the Michigan of the East.

Sorry guys but Santa Cruz is part of the UC system not the Cal State system so it is UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. I like the mascot for UC Irvine- Anteater!

 

[No Chores]

Sorry guys but Santa Cruz is part of the UC system not the Cal State system so it is UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. I like the mascot for UC Irvine- Anteater!

Cal Irvine are the Anteaters, and, therefore, do not qualify as an answer to the originally-posed trivia question. (Also of note is the fact that all of the University of California system teams wear the same colors - some combination and/or variation of blue and gold.)

 

[BosCat]

end in "s." I will spot you the easy ones: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Illini. There are a bunch of 'em,
and even more if you consider the smaller colleges....No college is too obscure!

Don't forget Dartmouth Big Green.

My question has to do with helmets. Does anybody know of another school besides Akron that uses their mascot's initial on the helmet? They have one with a big Z for Zips. It would be very odd to see a W on NU helmets.

 

[Overly_Invested_Cat]

So what nicknames aren't being used that should be for college teams? And if Northwestern was ever to change from Wildcats to something else, what would you like them to be?

Grosse Pointers
Great Lakers
* * * * Stars (using the 4 stars in the Chicago flag)
Grade Grubbers

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

So what nicknames aren't being used that should be for college teams? And if Northwestern was ever to change from Wildcats to something else, what would you like them to be?

Grosse Pointers
Great Lakers
* * * * Stars (using the 4 stars in the Chicago flag)
Grade Grubbers

There's a college by me called the lakers I mean not great lakers but yeah

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Cal Irvine are the Anteaters, and, therefore, do not qualify as an answer to the originally-posed trivia question. (Also of note is the fact that all of the University of California system teams wear the same colors - some combination and/or variation of blue and gold.)

NC- I said I like the Anteater mascot for UC Irvine, not that it qualified for the trivia question. If it is a UC school we use UC in front of the designation as in UC Irvine. I never see Cal used as a designation except for "Cal" to denote UC Berkeley. Some Cal State schools use Cal State such as Cal State Fullerton (San Diego State doesn't). UC vs Cal State differentiates the two different and distinct public state college systems in California.

 

[Frabjous]

So what nicknames aren't being used that should be for college teams? And if Northwestern was ever to change from Wildcats to something else, what would you like them to be?

Grosse Pointers
Great Lakers
* * * * Stars (using the 4 stars in the Chicago flag)
Grade Grubbers

The Fighting Alewives?

 

[No Chores]

NC- I said I like the Anteater mascot for UC Irvine, not that it qualified for the trivia question. If it is a UC school we use UC in front of the designation as in UC Irvine. I never see Cal used as a designation except for "Cal" to denote UC Berkeley. Some Cal State schools use Cal State such as Cal State Fullerton (San Diego State doesn't). UC vs Cal State differentiates the two different and distinct public state college systems in California.

I'm well aware of the distinction because my older daughter got her PhD at UCSB.

 

[No Chores]

There's a college by me called the lakers I mean not great lakers but yeah

It's not Mercyhurst is it? (I'm in Erie Pa.)

 

[mybrotha]

North Dakota is no longer The Fighting Sioux they are The Fighting Hawks.

That's sad I wanted to play hockey for them so bad. Great name, political correctness strikes again.

 

[hdhntr1]

end in "s." I will spot you the easy ones: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Illini. There are a bunch of 'em,
and even more if you consider the smaller colleges....No college is too obscure!

Remember when there was a movement to change the name of NU Wildcats to the purple haze?

 

[Williesfan]

Remember when there was a movement to change the name of NU Wildcats to the purple haze?

Or The Fighting Methodist

To the OP's question: Bama Crimson Tide ... Stanford Cardinal ... Navy Midshipmen ... Syracuse Orange ... NC State Wolfpack ... Nevada Wolf Pack ... Tulsa Golden Hurricane ... Tulane Green Wave ... Marshall Thundering Herd ... North Texas Mean Green ... UMass Minutemen ... ND Fighting Irish ... Illinois Fighting Illini ... that's just FBS.

Those break down this way:

• Number based on weather and other natural events: 3 (tide, hurricane, wave).
• Number based on animal social structures: 3 (wolfpack, wolf pack, herd).
• Number based on just a color: 3 (cardinal, orange, mean green).
• Number based on military duties or militaristic humans: 4 (midshipmen, minutemen, fighting Irish, fighting Illini).

But why stick solely with the ones whose names do not end in 's'? Here's a more holistic breakdown of mascots throughout FBS.

First the animal mascots (71):

• feline: 19 (panther, panther, golden panther, nittany lion, jaguar, bobcat, bobcat, wildcat, wildcat, wildcat, wildcat, cougar, cougar, cougar, tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger)
• avian: 19 (owl, owl, owl, eagle, eagle, eagle, golden eagle, golden flash (eagle), falcon, falcon, jayhawk, redhawk, warhawk, hawkeye, cardinal, cardinal, duck, game cock, roadrunner)
• canine: 11 (husky, husky, husky, wolf pack, wolf pack, lobo (wolf), red wolf, bulldog, bulldog, bulldog, bulldog)
• bovine: 5 (bull, bull, longhorn cow, buffalo, thundering herd)
• equine: 3 (mustang, bronco, bronco)
• ursine: 3 (bear, bear, bruin)
• other mammal: 7 (ram, razorback, bearcat, wolverine, badger, beaver, golden gopher)
• amphibian, reptile, and insect: 4 (gator, terrapin, horned frog, yellow jacket (wasp))

Next the humans (44):

• military or militaristic: 24 (volunteer, pirate, knight, black knight, scarlet knight, midshipman, minuteman, blue devil, cavalier, commodore, spartan, spartan, trojan, trojan, vandal, blue raider, red raider, rebel, rebel, Seminole, fighting Illini, ragin' Cajun, fighting Irish, rainbow warrior)
• non-military: 20 (monarch, demon deacon, tarheel, sooner, hoosier, cowboy, cowboy, mountaineer, mountaineer, cornhusker, boilermaker, hilltopper, aggie, aggie, aggie, 49er, miner, Ute, Chippewa, Aztec)

Finally, the "others" (13):

• weather/inanimate: 5 (crimson tide, green wave, hurricane, golden hurricane, cyclone)
• color: 3 (orange, mean green, cardinal)
• means of transportation: 1 (rocket)
• plants and plant material: 1 (buckeye)
• rubber overshoes: 1 (zips)
• word of encouragement: 1 (hokie)
• unknown: 1 (sun devil...deity or mirage?)

Heh, it really is a do-nothing sort of day....

now that's a slow workday

 

[NUCat320]

Hofstra Pride is my favorite. I assume it's a pack of lions and not self-satisfaction/ a deadly sin.

It looks like we've missed the UWGB Phoenix here. Perhaps we considered them the Phoenices. You know, plural.


I wish Northwestern were the Fighting Methodists. Or perhaps 'Those Good Old Shouting Methodists' (see video, ~2:10. 1992 was a good year.)



Actually, I'd like any NU nickname to call attention to what makes NU unique. To consider:

Quarters
Lake(fill)ers
Armadillos
Fighting Bryans
Late Night Talk Show Hosts
New York Jews
Inferiority Complexes
Cardinal Envy
Ottos
Annual Human Sexuality Controversy
Walruses (do they still offer The Beatles?)
Silver Hammers (do they still offer The Beatles?)
Day Trippers (do they still offer The Beatles?)
Blackbirds (do they still offer The Beatles?)


Truly, though, I'd go with the
Blagos

 

[StreamCat]

Remember when there was a movement to change the name of NU Wildcats to the purple haze?

NUDog was at the forefront of that movement.

 

[Cardiacagoan]

Knox College Prairie Fire

 

[NU-Dog]

And sometimes, schools have an abbreviated nickname, e.g. the Irish, the Illini, or the Tide. Thus, if we were the Fighting Methodists, we could be known as the Meth.

 

[willycat]

And sometimes, schools have an abbreviated nickname, e.g. the Irish, the Illini, or the Tide. Thus, if we were the Fighting Methodists, we could be known as the Meth.

Illinois has started a search for a mascot and hopefully nothing like that cartoonish guy that they dressed in buckskin and ran in circles. How about the Corn Suckers?

 

[FloridAlum]

Illinois has started a search for a mascot and hopefully nothing like that cartoonish guy that they dressed in buckskin and ran in circles. How about the Corn Suckers?

I was thinking of a large effigy of Tim Beckman, with a head about the size of the Purdue mascot's

 

[Frabjous]

Presbyterian College Blue Hose