A Good Nickname Has To Be Memorable.

Every athletic team is affiliated with some nickname. We all know the Yankees, Braves, Red Sox, Patriots, Steelers, and Colts. I thought I would give my top college nicknames along with a brief history of how each school determined what nickname best fits the particular school.


Alright, here we go:

University of Alabama Crimson Tide:

In the early days of Alabama football, newspapers referred to them as the "varsity" team or the "Crimson White." The first nickname that was popular called them the "Thin Red Line." That nickname was used until 1906. The nickname "Crimson Tide" came about when in the 1907 Iron Bowl, the game was played in a sea of mud. Auburn was heavily favored to win, but the game ended up being tied at 6-6. Hugh Roberts described Alabama in the game as the "Crimson Tide"

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:

In 1905,  "Yellowjackets" began being used as the nickname for Georgia Tech because Georgia Tech students would come to football games dressed in yellow jackets and coats. As far as when the nickname became official is unclear. One thing that is certain though, is the nickname did not derive from a actual yellow jacket, but the beloved mascot "Buzz" grew out of the nickname. 

It is not too common that a school has two nicknames, but Georgia Tech is one of those. They are also known as the Ramblin' Wreck. The first reference to the Rambling Wreck was in 1927, when a newspaper writer for the school acknowledge the disappointment in Floyd Field. Floyd Field owned a 1914 Ford that he had considered trading in. The technique of the car at Georgia Tech stuck around. Beginning in 1929, a yearly collegiate race, called the Old Ford race, from Atlanta to Athens took place. Eventually the race was determined to be too dangerous and was band. In place of the race came the Rambling Wreck Parade which is held during Homecoming Week. In the 1950s, school officials decided that the school needed a car that would be forever called the Ramblin' Wreck. 

University of Miami Hurricanes:

I do not actually think that Miami's nickname is all that interesting. It is actually pretty obvious why they have that nickname. I think the mascot at Miami is very unique. Many folks believe that Sebastian is a duck. Well he is not. Sebastian is actually an Ibis. An Ibis is the first to leave when the sign of a hurricane is approaching, but is the first to return upon the hurricane ending. The Ibis shows signs of leadership and bravery, which led to Miami adopting this particular bird as its mascot. He's a pretty cute little mascot too :)

Penn State Nittany Lions:

In 1904, Penn State had no mascot. When the baseball team travelled to take on Princeton, the team noticed the statue of the Bengal tiger. Joe Mason, a member of the Penn State team, said that Penn State would be represented by a Nittany Lion which he called 'fiercest beast of them all' that could overpower the tiger. So just what is a Nitanny Lion? A nittany lion is a mountain lion based near Pennsylvania's Nittany Mountain. 

University of South Carolina Gamecocks:

At the turn of the century, South Carolina had been struggling with nicknames for a decade. It was not until early 1900s that the team was unofficially described as the fighting "Game Cocks." in 1903, a newspaper reporter officially shortened the name to "Gamecocks" and they have been known as the Gamecocks ever since. There is only one other major school that is known as the Gamecocks.