| Nickname Origin | School/Nickname |
|---|
| Named in honor of the American Indian tribe for which the state is also named | |
| Believed to be a result of the press who claimed the team showed the qualities of 'grit, determination, and tenacity', much like these Europeans | |
| Changed from the Red Wave by student vote in the 1970s to this: a name for the men of this Greek city | |
| Chosen to give the school statewide identification, since this mascot is the state bird of Kentucky | |
| This mascot was chosen due to the team's tenacity, however un-original it may be | |
| Selected as the official nickname in 1922 to replace the Sun Dodger, an abstract reference to local weather | |
| Named after their state's nickname which came from a hero in Last of the Mohicans | |
| Chosen as the mascot in 1934 to replace Aggies; all dogs are named Jonathan | |
| Formerly the Daniels and the Pedagogues, this mascot was officially adopted in 1925, well before the movie 300 | |
| Another name for the 'Cadets' of this academy | |
| Formerly the Indians, this mascot was chosen to represent their beating of Cal in 1919 | |
| Known as the Hurons until 1991 when pressure from Native American civil rights groups led them to select their new nickname | |
| Formerly the Sagebrushers, the school changed their mascot to the animals that were often seen in the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains | |
| A reference to this Utah university's agricultural background | |
| Chosen to replace Beauregard T Rooster because of his strong resemblance to San Diego Chicken; their new nickname appeared in 1996 | |
| Selected in 1934 after a contest by the school newspaper, Silver and Gold; the real mascot stampeded on the field in the same year | |
| Known as the 'Cardinals' until 1909 when the coach declared his team played 'like a wild band of' these porcine beasts | |
| Formerly known as the Aggies and Farmers, this school's nickname stuck after the coach called the team this | |
| A famed breed of cattle brought to the state in the 1800s | |
| This nickname was selected in 1925 by the student body because it was a 'sly, wily, and scrappy animal' | |
| An official school color; has nothing to do with the tree mascot that is a symbol of the city in which it is located | |
| The football team shortened the original name, Rainbow ____, in 2000 although not all sports at this university did | |
| Chosen by a popular vote of this academy's first graduating class in 1959 | |
| Taken from the name of an old Zane Grey novel; officially symbolized as a buffalo | |
| Used by Coach Eugene Roberts in 1923 to represent his athletes; live mascots have escaped and killed children and animals | |
| Presumably named after a beast found in the nearby Everglades | |
| An homage to the early settlers of the state (and the local geography) | |
| Named after the early state settlers who snuck in early to claim land | |
| Although the more appropriate 'Golden Tornado' was preferred, that name was used elsewhere and the name evolved to this | |
| Named after the Chausseurs Alpins, a group of French soldiers during WWI that were nicknamed 'Les Diables Bleus' | |
| Changed from the Indians in 2006 due to the NCAA restrictions against American-Indian themed mascots, this nickname beat out Bayou Gators and Bayou Hawks | |
| This canine mascot was chosen to replace the Evansmen in 1940 | |
| A PE instructor and former Washington State football coach was fond of this mascot | |
| Chosen the best fight song from a contest, this song eventually led to their nickname; both the mascot and the horse were donated by the university Polo Club in 1963 | |
| Taken from a song written by the newspaper editor of the Tulane Hullabaloo | |
| After upsetting their in-state rival, students paraded through the streets carrying a sign that had a bird standing over a fallen tiger | |
| After a tie with their in-state rival in 1907, a sports editor spoke of them as a 'thin red line' | |
| Taken from the state nickname; a testament to the state's willingness to enlist in previous wars | |
| After reading an article on hunting with birds, an alumnus and booster thought this fierce fighter with speed and courage would make a great mascot | |
| Honors the noted shipping and railroad mogul for whom the school is named | |
| | Nickname Origin | School/Nickname |
|---|
| Presumably used due to the number of untamed horses in the area as well as its alliterative effect | |
| Taken from a line in a poem by Oliver Goldsmith, 'where crouching _____ wait their hapless prey' | |
| Coined by a former player replacing Teachers and Pedagogues; symbolized by a horse and lightning bolt for the region's walking horse industry and the school's aerospace program | |
| Taken from their state nickname, a satirical take on legislators plans to provide railroad loans in 1858, and the color of their championship teams in the 1930s | |
| A commissioned officer of the lowest rank in this branch of the military | |
| Changed from the Southerners in the 1970s to this majestic bird by a student/alumni vote | |
| This name stuck after fans cheered on the new addition to the football team: a player wearing a checkered shirt and western hat | |
| The school was found as the 'State School of Mines and Metallurgy' | |
| Adopted in 1922 when a disgruntled fan was describing the behavior of the student body at games | |
| Named after the symbol of the state in which they are located, where everything is golden | |
| Formerly known as the Cardinals, a rout of rival Northwestern in 1895 was compared to the storms that had plagued the area | |
| The 1st president of this school was a graduate of Yale; newspapers suggested it had a certain dignity and ferocity | |
| The state bird as well as a school color of this Indiana school | |
| Originally known as the Methodists and Wesleyans, this team took on a name more befitting of their fighting spirit | |
| Formerly known as the Staters, a sports editor liked this nickname more and started referring to the team as this | |
| Originally known as the Aggies, then the Orangemen, and then this state animal | |
| Originated from the university's early days as a night school for young people of limited means | |
| In 1905, the Atlanta Constitution referred to fans by what they were known to wear to the games | |
| Chosen by campus-wide election, beating the Queensmen and the Flying Dutchmen; this school defeated Princeton in the first ever intercollegiate football game | |
| Named after a reptile which a football coach had numerous encounters with in his childhood; also the official state reptile | |
| Chosen because it was the most formidable creature indigenous to the area, the alliterative effect, and the fact that at the time no other college or university employed it | |
| This nickname was selected after pressure from their namesake Native American tribe to change it from Redskins | |
| Named after a local Native American tribe that still supports the university's use to this day; Chief Osceola and Renegade came later in 1977 | |
| Named for an animal commonly seen in the surrounding Rocky Mountains | |
| Originally known as the Matadors, this nickname was chosen after the football team wore their new red uniforms to beat their rival | |
| Named after a cheer created in 1896; it has no official meaning but is represented by a turkey mascot | |
| Originally known as the Flood, this name was taken to reflect the school's southern heritage | |
| Short for a name that is a pair of rubber overshoes and a brand name of the local BF Goodrich Company | |
| Simplified from Golden Brahmans, which won the popular vote in 1962 | |
| Taken from a LA Times newspaper description of the team after they defeated Occidental College | |
| A name for residents of the state; also a small, brown nut | |
| Named after the Algonquin tribe for which the state is named; the name means 'they are men' | |
| Derived from this Texas university's agricultural background | |
| Originally meant as a derision to this school's devotion to engineering and agriculture | |
| Spanish for 'Wolves'; that's about it | |
| Commandant Carbusier of old State University in KY said the football team fought like this ferocious beast | |
| Named after the group of sailors, such as Blackbeard, that harbored ships on the nearby coast | |
| Nominated by the student body in 1914, narrowly beating out Buffaloes, Antelopes, and Ferrets, oh my | |
| A byproduct of when this school was a southern branch of the state institution that would later become their rival, the Bears | |
| Named after prospectors in the early 1800s that had to live like these animals | |
| | Nickname Origin | School/Nickname |
|---|
| Chosen by the student body to replace the Parsons, a nickname used due to the large number of theology students on campus | |
| Named after the state reptile, this mascot was originally associated with the college's former name, AddRan Christian University | |
| Used to describe a substitute offensive guard who recovered a fumble for a touchdown in a game against rival Carnegie Inst. of Technology; no one on the field could catch him | |
| Historically used to reflect this New Mexico university's agricultural background | |
| Refers to the hill the school sits on which offers a great view of surrounding Bowling Green | |
| Used by a sportswriter to replace the former name of 'Bugeaters'; aptly named for the state's agriculturally based economy | |
| Formerly known as the Knights of Pegasus, it changed to this to increase merchandise sales | |
| Derived from the name for a Union militia that fought a fierce border war with Missouri | |
| Evolution of a volunteer company organized in New Orleans during the Civil War | |
| A Chicago sportswriter compared the team to this beast | |
| Named after members of the Germanic tribes who sacked Rome in 455 AD | |
| Named after the small white dog that would greet students outside the main student building | |
| After defeating an in-state rival, this team's 'devilish' play and fighting spirit were complemented in local papers; formerly known as the 'Baptists' | |
| Adopted in 1926 to replace 'Silver Foxes', this school is symbolized by a golden bird emerging from a lightning bolt | |
| According to legend, the nickname is due to a dog that was fed by students and later saved several lives in a fire; he was later found dead in the house ruins | |
| This school was sending a message to their in-state rivals whose mascot resembled a 'northern looking wolf' | |
| Rev. Edward McLaughlin suggested this nickname as it was a symbol of 'majesty, power, and freedom' | |
| Nickname came from a football coach that had admired Princeton's mascot | |
| Name for North Carolinians during the Civil War | |
| Unknown - although theories include the trading of these pelts, a take on the voracious appetites of the French settlers, or a name for this state's people in a border dispute with | |
| Adopted after the AD printed balloons saying, 'Oklahoma Aggies - Ride 'Em ______' | |
| Chosen in 1911 to represent the university due to the large number of this reptile in the area | |
| Formerly the Hilltoppers, this horse nickname was submitted by an alumnus who later became the football coach | |
| Although officially known as the Eagles, this team is more commonly known by a name for the team's defense in 1966, which included NFL great Joe Greene | |
| A nearby hill and the valley in which the school is located + a ferocious beast | |
| Originally known as the Owls and the Bulldogs, and then this climate appropriate mascot, drawn by an artist for Disney after being pushed by the school newspaper | |
| A patriotic band of New England fishermen led them to be known as the 'Webfooters' prior to their use of Donald Duck | |
| Switched from a similar mascot, the Bisons, in 1931 | |
| An official school color, chosen due to the university's one-time affiliation with the Protestant church | |
| Chosen to increase pageantry and showmanship, this nickname persisted through a movement to change Native American nicknames | |
| Student leaders chose this nickname over others such as the Balboans since it better represented their southwest heritage | |
| Created after cheering on a fullback, 'Teddy' Baehr, as the team beat the Kentucky Wildcats | |
| Named after the local armed guard during the Civil War that were formed to hold off Union pillagers | |
| Named after the state's nickname, not the movie with Gene Hackman | |
| In the 1970s, sports information director Bob Henderson described the football team as this, since over 90% of the team was from Louisiana | |
| Named after a bird commonly seen on campus grounds, the National Audobon Society declared this campus an official sanctuary | |
| The team earned this name for their tough, tenacious play; their mascot has the name Bully | |
| Named in honor of an early symbol of the school, a canvas portrayal of this bird | |
| Recently changed from the Indians in honor of the local Osage tribe, this name was chosen in 2008 by a selection committee to be more politically correct | |
| Believed to be chosen by players hoping they would sweep away opponents like a powerful storm | |
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