Schools throughout NCAA’s Division II and Division III feature unique nicknames such as the Stormy Petrels, Banana Slugs and the Green Terror. Why, then, is Division I – the premier stage for college competition – riddled with Tigers, Wildcats and Hawks galore? These plain old monikers are bland and overdone; it’s time to rethink some of the most boring team names in college sports!
Ground Rules:
• The first school to have adopted a particular name gets to keep it. All subsequent schools that used the same name have to rebrand.
• If a school has held a name for a long time but has only recently risen up to Division I from a lower class, they’ll be treated as if they had adopted their name in the year that they were officially fully reclassified.
• Former team names will be used where applicable, so long as they do not conflict with current names used by other schools. And only if they’re cool.
• When existing team names are very similar (e.g., Boston College Eagles and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles) or a new name is created that is similar to an existing one (e.g. Clemson Citrus Tigers and Princeton Tigers), they can both remain as long as they are distinctly different. A purple panther is not a panther.
And away we go…
America East
🔹 Binghamton Burros
💡 A take on the team’s previous informal “Donkeys” moniker.
🔹 Bryant Lightkeepers
💡 A lighthouse-inspired rebrand.
🔹 New Hampshire Granite Warriors
💡 Perfect for a team representing the Granite State.
🟢 Unchanged: Albany Great Danes, Maine Black Bears, NJIT Highlanders, UMass Lowell River Hawks, UMBC Retrievers, Vermont Catamounts
American Athletic
🔹 East Carolina Marauders
💡 Since Seton Hall snatched the Pirates name first, let’s go with the next closest thing.
🔹 Florida Atlantic Sailfish
💡 Appropriate considering the school’s proximity to the ocean.
🔹 Memphis Blues
💡 The city is the Home of the Blues, after all.
🔹 Rice Bayou Bombers
💡 A fun new name for a school located on the bayou.
🔹 USF Golden Brahmans
💡 Hearkening back to an old nickname used before they became the Bulls.
🔹 UTSA Fiesta Flashes
💡 I’m ready for a party already!
🟢 Unchanged: Charlotte 49ers, North Texas Mean Green, Temple Owls, Tulane Green Wave, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, UAB Blazers, Wichita State Shockers
Atlantic 10
🔹 Rhode Island Gulls
💡 May cause slight confusion with the Newport Gulls, but they’re still much more common in the Ocean State than rams.
🔹 VCU Prowlers
💡 A cool-sounding generic nickname for the school that sent this conference over its “Rams” quota.
🟢 Unchanged: Davidson Wildcats, Dayton Flyers, Duquesne Dukes, Fordham Rams, George Mason Patriots, George Washington Revolutionaries, La Salle Explorers, Loyola Chicago Ramblers, Richmond Spiders, St. Bonaventure Bonnies, Saint Joseph’s Hawks, Saint Louis Billikens
ACC
🔹 Clemson Citrus Tigers
💡 Rethinking the only ACC team whose nickname doesn’t originate with them.
🟢 Unchanged: Boston College Eagles, California Golden Bears, Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Louisville Cardinals, Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Pittsburgh Panthers, SMU Mustangs, Stanford Cardinal, Syracuse Orange, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Atlantic Sun
🔹 Bellarmine Bourbon Barons
💡 A Kentucky classic – don’t tell me this name isn’t awesome.
🔹 Central Arkansas Sugar Bears
💡 Applying the fun nickname for women’s sports to all school athletic teams.
🔹 Florida Gulf Coast Surfers
💡 Because what else is there to do on the west side of Florida?
🔹 Lipscomb Lightning
💡 A much more appropriate name for this Tennessee school than “Bisons”.
🔹 North Alabama Apollos
💡 This region was instrumental in the success of the space program, after all.
🟢 Unchanged: Austin Peay Governors, Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Jacksonville Dolphins, North Florida Ospreys, Queens Royals, Stetson Hatters, West Georgia Wolves
Big 12
🔹 Arizona Scorpions
💡 A much more feisty desert critter than the plain ole wildcat.
🔹 BYU Bighorns
💡 A nod to the sheep often found in the mountains near campus.
🔹 Houston Comets
💡 Adding another space-related team to the city’s arsenal.
🔹 Kansas State Twisters
💡 Because the Little Apple is right in the heart of Tornado Alley.
🔹 Oklahoma State Outlaws
💡 Stirs up notions of the wild, wild west.
🔹 UCF Citronauts
💡 An old nickname that’s in desperate need of a comeback.
🟢 Unchanged: Arizona State Sun Devils, Baylor Bears, Cincinnati Bearcats, Colorado Buffaloes, Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Utah Utes, WVU Mountaineers
Big EAST
🔹 Butler Hustlers
💡 Conjures up thoughts of the style of play that brought Hoosier Hysteria into the spotlight.
🔹 Connecticut Nutmeggers
💡 A name previously used by UConn that references the official state demonym.
🔹 Marquette Choppers
💡 Both Marquette and Harley-Davidson are based in Milwaukee – a perfect match.
🔹 Villanova Mainliners
💡 A play on the historical region of Philadelphia in which Villanova is situated.
🟢 Unchanged: Creighton Bluejays, DePaul Blue Demons, Georgetown Hoyas, Providence Friars, St. John’s Red Storm, Seton Hall Pirates, Xavier Musketeers
Big SKY
🔹 Eastern Washington Evergreens
💡 It’s the Evergreen State, after all.
🔹 Montana State Golden Bobcats
💡 That one extra word adds some pizazz and uniqueness.
🔹 Northern Colorado Prospectors
💡 Extracted from the Centennial State’s rich mining history.
🔹 Sacramento State 48ers
💡 With 1848 being the beginning of the California gold rush.
🔹 Weber State Wasatch Wolves
💡 A ferocious name that involves the nearby Wasatch Mountains.
🟢 Unchanged: Idaho Vandals, Idaho State Bengals, Montana Grizzlies, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, Portland State Vikings
BIG SOUTH
🔹 Charleston Southern Palmettos
💡 At least one South Carolina school has to feature the state’s iconic symbol.
🔹 High Point Divans
💡 What better name for a team in the Furniture Capital of the World than that of a backless couch?
🔹 Radford Pipers
💡 An alternative to Highlanders that still has Scottish roots.
🔹 UNC Asheville Hopping Hikers
💡 Beautifully combines the popular Asheville beer scene and the abundant outdoor adventures to be had nearby.
🔹 USC Upstate Bog Turtles
💡 This native resident of South Carolina makes for a potentially adorable mascot.
🔹 Winthrop Hippogriffs
💡 If you can’t be an eagle, be a legendary half-eagle, half-horse beast instead.
🟢 Unchanged: Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, Longwood Lancers, Presbyterian Blue Hose
BIG TEN
🔹 Northwestern Zephyrs
💡 Encapsulates the spirit of the Windy City.
🟢 Unchanged: Illinois Fighting Illini, Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, Washington Huskies, Wisconsin Badgers
BIG WEST
🔹 Cal Poly Condors
💡 Taking the school to new heights…literally.
🔹 Cal State Fullerton Pachyderms
💡 A nod to the school’s elephant mascot, Tuffy.
🔹 UC Davis Golden Oaks
💡 Perfect because the school is known for its large collection of oak trees.
🔹 UC Riverside Gila Monsters
💡 This desert dweller makes for a menacing new mascot.
🟢 Unchanged: Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, Cal State Northridge Matadors, Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, UC Irvine Anteaters, UC San Diego Tritons, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
🔴 No Nickname: Long Beach State
CAA
🔹 Charleston Maroons
💡 The primary color of the College of Charleston, as well as a former nickname.
🔹 Elon Fightin’ Christians
💡 The name the school used before transitioning to Division I.
🔹 Hampton Anchors
💡 A similarly seaworthy term.
🔹 Monmouth Herons
💡 The great blue heron, that is.
🔹 Northeastern Bayhawks
💡 Much more common in New England than huskies, I think.
🔹 Towson Cormorants
💡 A little-known type of coastal bird, inspired by the nearby Chesapeake Bay.
🟢 Unchanged: Campbell Fighting Camels, Drexel Dragons, Hofstra Pride, NC A&T Aggies, Stony Brook Seawolves, UNCW Seahawks, William & Mary Tribe
Conference USA
🔹 FIU Sunblazers
💡 The school’s original moniker and one that should absolutely return.
🔹 Jacksonville State Eagle Owls
💡 They can’t be the Gamecocks, so they may as well revert back to this unique nickname.
🔹 Kennesaw State Ridgehawks
💡 And this school can’t be the Owls. How about something that brings nearby Kennesaw Mountain to mind?
🔹 Louisiana Tech Swamp Serpents
💡 Possibly the last thing you wanna meet on a humid Louisiana night.
🔹 Missouri State Meadowlarks
💡 A common sight in the Midwest skies.
🔹 New Mexico State Bosque Bandits
💡 They could even keep their current logo with this one!
🟢 Unchanged: Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens, Liberty Flames, MTSU Blue Raiders, Sam Houston State Bearkats, UTEP Miners, WKU Hilltoppers
HORIZON LEAGUE
🔹 Cleveland State Fennec Foxes
💡 A twist on the university’s former name.
🔹 IU Indy Metros
💡 Bringing back a classy name for the school formerly known as IUPUI.
🔹 Milwaukee Green Gulls
💡 Another awesome nickname from days gone by.
🟢 Unchanged: Detroit Mercy Titans, Green Bay Phoenix, Northern Kentucky Norse, Oakland Golden Grizzlies, Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, Robert Morris Colonials, Wright State Raiders, Youngstown State Penguins
IVY LEAGUE
🔹 Brown Brigade
💡 After losing out to Baylor on the coveted “Bears” moniker, at least this Rhode Island institution can keep the alliteration going.
🟢 Unchanged: Columbia Lions, Cornell Big Red, Dartmouth Big Green, Harvard Crimson, Penn Quakers, Princeton Tigers, Yale Bulldogs
MAAC
🔹 Iona Whitetails
💡 I mean… deer are pretty much everywhere, aren’t they?
🔹 Mount St. Mary’s Mockingbirds
💡 An alliterative nod that includes the Maryland state bird.
🔹 Quinnipiac Schooners
💡 Highlighting the state’s maritime importance.
🔹 Sacred Heart Charter Oaks
💡 The Connecticut state tree, a legend in and of itself.
🟢 Unchanged: Canisius Golden Griffins, Fairfield Stags, Manhattan Jaspers, Marist Red Foxes, Merrimack Warriors, Niagara Purple Eagles, Rider Broncs, Saint Peter’s Peacocks, Siena Saints
MAC
🔹 Ball State Hoosieroons
💡 Bringing back a fun nickname from the old days.
🔹 Eastern Michigan Hurons
💡 Another previously used name that should make its way back into public use.
🔹 Northern Illinois Kestrels
💡 A kestrel being a small – yet feisty – type of falcon.
🔹 Western Michigan Celeries
💡 A cheeky new name for a school situated in a region once known agriculturally for celery.
🟢 Unchanged: Akron Zips, Bowling Green Falcons, Buffalo Bulls, Central Michigan Chippewas, Kent State Golden Flashes, Miami (OH) RedHawks, Ohio Bobcats, Toledo Rockets, UMass Minutemen
MEAC
🔹 Coppin State Battalion
💡 This name recalls the city’s rich history and suggests a team that’s strong and united.
🔹 Delaware State Diamonds
💡 Did you know Delaware is called “The Diamond State”?
🔹 Howard Heroes
💡 A tribute to the many civil rights leaders – and other accomplished folks – that the university has produced.
🔹 Maryland Eastern Shore Crabbers
💡 Paying homage to a very prolific Maryland industry.
🔹 Morgan State Mallards
💡 Named for Maryland’s most common duck.
🔹 Norfolk State Barracuda
💡 Inspired by a creature that may or may not be lurking in Hampton Roads.
🔹 North Carolina Central Lemurs
💡 Durham being the home of the renowned Duke Lemur Center.
🔹 South Carolina State Corsairs
💡 A swashbuckling new name.
🟢 Unchanged: None
MISSOURI VALLEY
🔹 Belmont Sonics
💡 Sonic meaning sound, perfectly encapsulating the Music City.
🔹 Chicago Circle
💡 A briefly used – but cool and unique – former name of the UIC Flames.
🔹 Drake Cob Crushers
💡 Inspired by Iowa’s miles and miles of rolling cornfields.
🔹 Northern Iowa Purple Panthers
💡 If you can’t be the Panthers, be something wonderfully fabricated instead.
🟢 Unchanged: Bradley Braves, Illinois State Redbirds, Indiana State Sycamores, Murray State Racers, SIU Salukis, Evansville Purple Aces, Valparaiso Beacons
MOUNTAIN WEST
🔹 Air Force Aces
💡 Synonym of “maverick”, because that name was already taken.
🔹 Colorado State Cragsmen
💡 For the rocky crags and of the nearby mountains and the team’s resilient nature.
🔹 Fresno State Sequoias
💡 Based on the iconic national park about 80 miles away.
🔹 Nevada Desert Cats
💡 This feisty feline perfectly represents the nation’s most sparsely populated state.
🔹 San Jose State Foggy Frigates
💡 Sounds like a cute name for a school on the San Francisco Bay.
🔹 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
💡 Let’s just use the name held by the men’s basketball team for all sports here.
🔹 Utah State Scotsmen
💡 Honoring the region’s Scottish heritage.
🟢 Unchanged: Boise State Broncos, New Mexico Lobos, San Diego State Aztecs, Wyoming Cowboys
NORTHEAST
🔹 Central Connecticut Pilgrims
💡 Named for some of New England’s first white settlers.
🔹 Chicago State Midway Marauders
💡 A dramatic new name that fits in well with the geography of Chicago.
🔹 Le Moyne Snowhawks
💡 Seems much more likely to see a “snowhawk” than a dolphin in Central New York…
🔹 Stonehill Summit
💡 One of the alternate choices when the athletic teams were renamed in 2002.
🔹 Wagner Sparrows
💡 A quick switch of birds equals a complete school refresh.
🟢 Unchanged: Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, LIU Sharks, Mercyhurst Lakers, Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash
OHIO VALLEY
🔹 Eastern Illinois Bluegills
💡 Keep the school colors with this rebrand in honor of the Illinois state fish.
🔹 Lindenwood Steamers
💡 This is a very relevant name for a school located on the Missouri River, near the start of Lewis and Clark’s journey west.
🔹 Little Rock Catfish
💡 This little fishy would make for a cute as heck mascot.
🔹 Morehead State Spelunkers
💡 A name that references those who set out to explore Kentucky’s extensive cave system.
🔹 SIU-Edwardsville Paddlefish
💡 This unique invertebrate would stand out as a school mascot.
🔹 Southeast Missouri State Otters
💡 Another cute animal found throughout the Mississippi River region.
🔹 Tennessee State Chimeras
💡 A Greek mythical creature, appropriate due to the university’s close proximity to Nashville’s Parthenon replica.
🟢 Unchanged: Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, UT Martin Skyhawks, Western Illinois Leathernecks
PAC-12
This poor conference is hanging on by a thread. (Let’s just rename it the Pac-2 and move on, yeah?)
🟢 Unchanged: Oregon State Beavers, Washington State Cougars
Patriot League
🔹 American Amber Waves
💡 A badass patriotic name that captures the spirit of “America the Beautiful”.
🔹 Bucknell Rapids Raiders
💡 Inspired by the rapids and waterways of Appalachian Pennsylvania.
🔹 Colgate Gorge Gladiators
💡 Alludes to the many gorges and glens in upstate New York.
🟢 Unchanged: Army Black Knights, Boston Terriers, Holy Cross Crusaders, Lafayette Leopards, Lehigh Mountain Hawks, Loyola (MD) Greyhounds, Navy Midshipmen
SEC
🔹 Auburn Plainsmen
💡 Expanding upon the school’s use of “Plains” to describe the town of Auburn, as well as the unofficial nickname for the baseball team.
🔹 Georgia Golden Peaches
💡 Dropping the Bulldogs moniker here is sadly required. With Georgia being the Peach State… this is the next best thing.
🔹 Kentucky Thoroughbreds
💡 For a school in the heart of horse racing country, this is pretty self-explanatory.
🔹 LSU Bayou Bengals
💡 Turning an actual team nickname into a permanent moniker.
🔹 Mississippi State Magnolias
💡 For the iconic state flower.
🔹 Missouri Fighting Tigers
💡 A more specific name that sets the university apart, with the Fighting Tigers being the name of a local militia that defended Columbia from Confederate forces during the Civil War.
🔹 Texas A&M Ranchers
💡 Although there are far more ranches further west, it’s still an appropriate name for a very Texas university.
🟢 Unchanged: Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida Gators, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers, Vanderbilt Commodores
SOCON
🔹 The Citadel Cadets
💡 Simple, accurate and right to the point.
🔹 Mercer Cherry Blossoms
💡 Did you know that Macon, Georgia is the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World?
🔹 Samford Forgers
💡 Connecting to Birmingham’s industrial past, specifically the Sloss Furnaces.
🔹 UNC Greensboro Geckos
💡 Rolls off the tongue and allows for a potential sponsorship from a certain insurance company.
🔹 Western Carolina Mountain Boomers
💡 The loser in the naming contest that made this team the Catamounts in the first place.
🔹 Wofford Peregrines
💡 A ferocious predator in the skies over the Carolinas.
🟢 Unchanged: Chattanooga Mocs, East Tennessee State Buccaneers, Furman Paladins, VMI Keydets
SOUTHLAND
🔹 Houston Christian Vortex
💡 Implies a powerful and destructive team, just like Gulf Coast hurricanes.
🔹 Incarnate Word Armada
💡 Evoking a feeling of strength and unity.
🔹 Lamar Brahmas
💡 A former name that seems to fit this Texas team very well.
🔹 McNeese State Crawfish
💡 A Louisiana staple.
🔹 Nicholls State Egrets
💡 Another common bayou-dweller.
🔹 Southeastern Louisiana Bullfrogs
💡 Yet another resident of the Louisiana bayou.
🔹 Texas A&M-Commerce Pumas
💡 A different member of the big cat family, with the same amount of ferocity.
🟢 Unchanged: New Orleans Privateers, Northwestern State Demons, Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, UTRGV Vaqueros
SWAC
🔹 Alabama A&M Rovers
💡 A link to the region’s rich space history.
🔹 Alcorn State Bandits
💡 A less controversial name that has a nice ring to it.
🔹 Bethune-Cookman Stingers
💡 An intimidating name inspired by local sea life.
🔹 Grambling State Nuthatches
💡 A quirky little bird that would make a neat mascot.
🔹 Jackson State Mambas
💡 No, they’re not native to North America, but this fearsome snake would make an epic mascot.
🔹 Prairie View A&M Ocelots
💡 A different big cat that’s native to Texas.
🔹 Southern Juggernauts
💡 A pretty generic nickname that can give the team an aggressive reputation.
🔹 Texas Southern Hellcats
💡 Not a car or a character, but a ferocious feline from the sweltering southlands of the Lone Star State.
🟢 Unchanged: Alabama State Hornets, Florida A&M Rattlers, Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, UAPB Golden Lions
SUMMIT LEAGUE
🔹 Omaha Spikes
💡 Nebraska’s largest city is a big railroad hub and the headquarters of Union Pacific.
🔹 Oral Roberts 66ers
💡 Connecting to the rich Route 66 heritage of the Tulsa region.
🟢 Unchanged: Denver Pioneers, Kansas City Roos, North Dakota Fighting Hawks, North Dakota State Bison, South Dakota Coyotes, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, St. Thomas Tommies
SUN BELT
🔹 Appalachian State Cottonmouths
💡 A deadly reptile found in the woods of western North Carolina.
🔹 Georgia Southern Swarm
💡 An aggressive new name inspired by the swarms of insects in south Georgia that will almost certainly find their way into your ear if you’re not careful.
🔹 Southern Miss Talons
💡 Just a bit more specific than “Golden Eagles” and a great name to boot.
🔹 Texas State Armadillos
💡 A famous mammal that’s synonymous with the state of Texas.
🔹 Troy Toads
💡 A bit of a lackluster name, but it geographically fits the toad diaspora well.
🟢 Unchanged: Arkansas State Red Wolves, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, James Madison Dukes, Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, Marshall Thundering Herd, Old Dominion Monarchs, South Alabama Jaguars, ULM Warhawks
WEST COAST
🔹 Gonzaga Appaloosas
💡 A beautiful breed of horses common in the Inland Northwest.
🔹 Loyola Marymount Leviathans
💡 A fear-inspiring mythical mascot.
🔹 Pacific Stockton Stallions
💡 We really ought to rename the whole school – which is at least 100 miles from the ocean – while we’re at it.
🔹 Santa Clara Silicon Salmon
💡 A strange mix between the tech and fishing industries, but I could still see a lot of merch getting sold for this one.
🔹 Seattle Emeralds
💡 Get rid of that red color scheme ASAP – only primarily green or blue teams allowed in this city!
🟢 Unchanged: Grand Canyon Antelopes, Pepperdine Waves, Portland Pilots, Saint Mary’s Gaels, San Diego Toreros, San Francisco Dons
WESTERN ATHLETIC
🔹 Abilene Christian Peccaries
💡 A rare but unique mammal native to this part of Texas.
🔹 California Baptist Raptors
💡 Referencing the many species of predatory birds found in Southern California.
🔹 Utah Valley Pronghorns
💡 Inspired by the majestic beasts which roam the landscape nearby.
🟢 Unchanged: Southern Utah Thunderbirds, Tarleton State Texans, UT-Arlington Mavericks, Utah Tech Trailblazers
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