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New Nicknames for the ‘Tigers’ and ‘Wildcats’ of College Football

HERO Sports by HERO Sports
April 23, 2017
New Nicknames for the ‘Tigers’ and ‘Wildcats’ of College Football

Tigers and Wildcats account for seven percent of all FBS nicknames.

While most of those nine schools have interesting histories behind their nicknames, their prevalence is still a common discussion point among sports fans, especially those from other schools who mock the common name.

For those who badly want to see name changes from the nine schools who use Tigers and Wildcats, here is one suggestion for each school.

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Arizona Aviators

In a city rich with aviation history, could the University of Arizona opt for Aviators?

The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is just 10 miles from the Tucson campus. The base was established in 1925 as Davis-Monthan Landing Field, named in honor of World War I pilots Samuel H. Davis and Oscar Monthan. Davis is former Arizona student who left school in 1917 to enlist in the army. 

Tucson is also home to the Pima Air and Space Museum, a gigantic non-government aerospace museum. 

[divider]

Auburn War Eagles

If Auburn is going to ditch a Tigers' name with 19th-century origins, its replacement must be great.

The history of the school's battle cry "War Eagle" remains unclear, though the school does cite four separate legends. The popular and widely accepted one focuses on Auburn and Georgia's first football matchup in 1892.

The story says a Civil War veteran attended that game and brought a bald eagle he found on the battlefield. Late in the game, the eagle broke free and began circling the field, at which time Auburn drove down the field for a game-winning touchdown.

Other stories include a player named Bald Eagle or a connection to Saxon warriors.

[divider]

Clemson Cottontails

When former Auburn football player Walter Riggs became the head coach at Clemson in 1896, he brought his alma mater's nickname with him, the Tigers, and it has remained since.

If Clemson were to wish to create their own unique nickname, might they look to something that rolls off the tongue, the Clemson Cottontails? The entire state of South Carolina is laced with various types of rabbits, including Eastern and New England Cottontails.

[divider]

Kansas State Aggies

It makes little sense to go from one popular nickname to another, but it would work for Kansas State.

K-Staters were known as both Aggies and Farmers at the turn of the century before they temporarily switched to Wildcats in 1915 and permanently in 1920. 

Though they would join New Mexico State, Texas A&M and Utah State as Aggies, it'd be cool to see Aggies back in the Aggieville area of Manhattan.

[divider]

Kentucky Oilers

Instead of being one of five Wildcats in college football and one of 10 in college basketball, Kentucky could be the lone Oilers.

The state has a fascinating oil and gas history dating back 200 years to the first time in McCreary County, and oil and gas are still produced at more than 1,500 pools across Kentucky.

It would definitely be a unique nickname.

[divider]

LSU Steamboats

In the nine decades between 1850-1930, the population of Baton Rouge, La., grew annually by at least 30 percent in six of those decades. One large reason for the growth is steamboat transportation on the Mississippi River.

It was also during this time that Louisiana State University was founded (then the Louisiana State University Agricultural and Mechanical College) and gradually transformed from a small school with little national awareness beyond their military programs into a stable institution with terrific facilities and a growing enrollment.

There are zero Steamboats in the NCAA.

[divider]

Memphis Bengals

Shortly after the University of Memphis opened in 1912, they were given the name Tigers. But it wasn't until 1972 that a live tiger mascot began representing the school's athletic teams.

Over the last 45 years, three Bengal tigers have served as their mascot, with TOM III currently holding the title. What if Memphis embraced the tiger subspecies Bengal name and became the Memphis Bengals?

Critics will point the Cincinnati Bengals but there are plenty of college teams with the same names as pro teams.

[divider]

Missouri Mound Builders

The University of Missouri picked Tigers in the late 19th century in honor of the Missouri Tigers militia from the Civil War. Let's dive deeper in the state's history.

Centuries before the school existed, parts of Missouri were inhabited by Mound Builders, people who created large mounds for residential and religious purposes, among other reasons. The nearby city of St. Louis still has the nickname Mound City because of numerous mounds that settlers discovered long ago.

[divider]

Northwestern Polars

Northwestern began marketing itself as 'Chicago's Big Ten Team' in 2012, therefore maybe change your nickname to fit in with Chicago's pro teams?

In 1972, students voted to remove Wildcats as their nickname, with 59 percent picking Purple Haze as its replacement. Though some people immediately began referring to Northwestern as the Purple Haze, the school never approved it and Wildcats remained.

It's unlikely they'd approve Purple Haze, but maybe they'd join the Cubs and Bears as the Polars?

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