List of college sports team nicknames in North America

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The following is a sports team nicknames for colleges (universities in non-U.S. English) in North America, primarily in the United States and Canada.

These are the general, collective nicknames that various colleges and universities' athletic teams compete under, grouped by a general theme before dividing into specific nicknames. For specific names of live or costumed mascots, see List of college mascots in the United States.

Animals[edit]

Aardvarks[edit]

Amphibians/Reptiles (larger category)[edit]

Frogs[edit]

Gators[edit]

Geckos[edit]

Antelopes[edit]

"Antelope" is a common term in North American English for the pronghorn, which is only distantly related to the true antelopes. All schools listed here derive their nicknames from the pronghorn.

Armadillos[edit]

Badgers[edit]

Bearcats[edit]

Bears (larger category)[edit]

Black Bears[edit]

Bruins[edit]

Golden Bears[edit]

Grizzlies[edit]

Kodiaks[edit]

Polar Bears[edit]

Big Cats (larger category excluding Lions and Tigers)[edit]

Bobcats[edit]

Catamounts[edit]

Cougars[edit]

Jaguars[edit]

Leopards[edit]

Lynx[edit]

Mountain Lions[edit]

Panthers[edit]

Pumas[edit]

Wildcats[edit]

Many of these schools have a bobcat as a mascot. "Wildcat" is a common name for that animal in North American English.

Birds (larger category, excluding Eagles and Hawks)[edit]

Bantams[edit]

Blue Jays[edit]

Bluejays[edit]

Cardinals[edit]

Chaparrals[edit]

Condors[edit]

Ducks[edit]

Falcons[edit]

Gamecocks[edit]

Gulls[edit]

Herons[edit]

Ospreys[edit]

Owls[edit]

Peacocks[edit]

Pelicans[edit]

Penguins[edit]

Raptors[edit]

Ravens[edit]

Roadrunners[edit]

Bison[edit]

Buffaloes[edit]

Camels[edit]

Cats (larger category, excluding Big Cats)[edit]

Cows (larger category)[edit]

Bulls[edit]

Mavericks[edit]

Coyotes[edit]

Deer[edit]

Bucks[edit]

Stags[edit]

Dogs (larger category)[edit]

Bulldogs[edit]

Greyhounds[edit]

Huskies[edit]

Saints[edit]

Salukis[edit]

Scotties[edit]

Terriers[edit]

Eagles (standalone category – multiple sub-categories)[edit]

Águilas[edit]

Bald Eagles[edit]

Golden Eagles[edit]

Screaming Eagles[edit]

Foxes[edit]

Red Foxes[edit]

Hawks (standalone category – multiple sub-categories)[edit]

Jayhawks[edit]

Nighthawks[edit]

Red Hawks[edit]

River Hawks[edit]

Riverhawks[edit]

Seahawks[edit]

Skyhawks[edit]

Thunderhawks[edit]

Warhawks[edit]

Horses/Mules (larger category)[edit]

Broncos[edit]

Colts[edit]

Mustangs[edit]

Palominos[edit]

Ponies[edit]

Stallions[edit]

Thoroughbreds[edit]

Insects[edit]

Bees[edit]

Boll Weevils[edit]

Hornets[edit]

Stingers[edit]

Yellow Jackets[edit]

Yellowjackets[edit]

Lions (standalone category – multiple sub-categories)[edit]

Golden Lions[edit]

Lyons[edit]

Pride[edit]

Marine animals (larger category)[edit]

Dolphins[edit]

Muskies[edit]

Sharks[edit]

Marsupials (larger category)[edit]

Kangaroos[edit]

Moose[edit]

Otters[edit]

Prehistoric animals (larger category)[edit]

Mastodons[edit]

Rams[edit]

Bighorn Sheep[edit]

Golden Rams[edit]

Rodents (larger category)[edit]

Beavers[edit]

Gophers[edit]

Squirrels[edit]

Snakes (larger category)[edit]

Cobras[edit]

Rattlers[edit]

Tigers (standalone category – multiple sub-categories)[edit]

Bengals[edit]

Fighting Tigers[edit]

Golden Tigers[edit]

Wild Pigs[edit]

Wolverines[edit]

Wolves (larger category)[edit]

Lobos[edit]

Red Wolves[edit]

Seawolves[edit]

Thunderwolves[edit]

Timberwolves[edit]

Wolf Pack/Wolfpack[edit]

Colors[edit]

Blue (larger category)[edit]

Blues[edit]

Gold (larger category)[edit]

Green (larger category)[edit]

Purple (larger category)[edit]

Red (larger category)[edit]

Big Red[edit]

Maroons[edit]

Legendary, religious and supernatural figures[edit]

Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome (larger category)[edit]

Argonauts[edit]

Centurions[edit]

Gladiators[edit]

Spartans[edit]

Titans[edit]

Tritons[edit]

Trojans[edit]

Vulcans[edit]

Christian symbols/figures (larger category)[edit]

Battling Bishops[edit]

Blue Angels[edit]

Crusades/Crusaders[edit]

Deacons[edit]

Evangels/Preachers[edit]

Fighting Saints[edit]

Saints[edit]

Demons and Devils[edit]

Blue Demons[edit]

Blue Devils[edit]

Red Devils[edit]

Dragons[edit]

Red Dragons[edit]

Giants[edit]

Griffins[edit]

Griffons[edit]

Gryphons[edit]

Phantoms[edit]

Phoenix[edit]

Firebirds[edit]

Spirits[edit]

Spirit[edit]

Thunderbirds[edit]

Miscellaneous[edit]

Beacons[edit]

Blazers[edit]

Lasers[edit]

Nickname based upon college name[edit]

Tommies[edit]

Nickname based upon college tradition/figure[edit]

Sabers/Sabres[edit]

Vehicles (larger category)[edit]


Clippers[edit]

Jets[edit]

Rockets[edit]

Nature/outer space[edit]

Comets[edit]

Electricity (larger category)[edit]

Lightning[edit]

Flames[edit]

Hurricanes[edit]

Mounties[edit]

Note: "Mounties" can refer to either the geographic feature or, in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Mount Allison's nickname may possibly come from either source; U.S. schools would use the geographic feature.

Plants (larger category)[edit]

Mighty Oaks[edit]

Oaks[edit]

Stars[edit]

Storm[edit]

Red Storm[edit]

Suns[edit]

Thunder[edit]

Tornadoes[edit]

Cyclones[edit]

Wave/Waves[edit]

People[edit]

Academic occupations (larger category)[edit]

Agricultural occupations (larger category)[edit]

Aggies[edit]

Wranglers[edit]

Belles[edit]

Cowboys (larger category)[edit]

Gauchos[edit]

Rough Riders/Roughriders[edit]

Rustlers[edit]

Vaqueros[edit]

Engineers[edit]

Exploration (larger category)[edit]

Conquistadors[edit]

Voyageurs[edit]

Foresters[edit]

Hilltoppers[edit]

Knights (standalone category – large quantity)[edit]

Blue Knights[edit]

Golden Knights[edit]

Green Knights[edit]

Purple Knights[edit]

Marauders[edit]

Maritime (larger category)[edit]

Buccaneers[edit]

Commodores[edit]

Corsairs[edit]

Lakers[k][edit]

Mariners[edit]

Pirates[edit]

Privateers[edit]

Matadors[edit]

Military (larger category)[edit]

Archers[edit]

Cadets[edit]

Cannoneers[edit]

Cavaliers[edit]

Chargers[edit]

Colonels[edit]

Colonials[edit]

Conquerors[edit]

Defenders[edit]

Generals[edit]

Lancers[edit]

Paladins[edit]

Sentinels[edit]

Vanguards[edit]

Miners (larger category)[edit]

Mountaineers[edit]

Mystics[edit]

Nickname based upon Indigenous peoples[edit]

Apaches[edit]

Aztecs[edit]

Braves[edit]

Chiefs[edit]

Indians[edit]

Nickname based on cultures/peoples (not Indigenous American)[edit]

Dutch/Dutchmen[edit]

Fighting Scots[edit]

Gaels[edit]

Highlanders[edit]

Islanders[edit]

Norse[edit]

Quakers[edit]

U.S. state nicknames[edit]

Scots[edit]

Texans[edit]

Volunteers[edit]

Western European groups[edit]

Vikings[edit]

Pacers[edit]

Pilots[edit]

Flyers[edit]

Pioneers[edit]

Plainsmen[edit]

Pipers[edit]

Political movements (larger category)[edit]

Patriots[edit]

Patriotes[edit]

Rebels[edit]

Renegades[edit]

Political/royal occupations (larger category)[edit]

Ambassadors[edit]

Barons[edit]

Dons[edit]

Dukes[edit]

Governors[edit]

Monarchs[edit]

Royals[edit]

Senators[edit]

Statesmen[edit]

Raiders[edit]

Blue Raiders[edit]

Red Raiders[edit]

Rangers[edit]

Tartans[edit]

Trailblazers[edit]

Trades (larger category)[edit]

Brewers[edit]

Loggers[edit]

Lumberjacks[edit]

Warriors[edit]

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ San Francisco State's nickname is not derived from the alligator, but rather the Golden Gate Bridge. The current nickname evolved from an earlier nickname of "Golden Gaters".
  2. ^ The school's formal name is University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but it brands its athletic program solely as Chattanooga. The nickname of "Mocs" is a contraction of the former nickname of "Moccasins". While the city is located in the Tennessee River's Moccasin Bend, the school's athletic branding had long alluded to Native American stereotypes. The current nickname and athletic imagery strongly emphasize the northern mockingbird, the official state bird of Tennessee.
  3. ^ Evolved from a former nickname of Thoroughbreds; the baseball team was the last to abandon that nickname, doing so in 2014.
  4. ^ a b While this school's nickname is "Lions", its athletic imagery depicts a cougar, also known as "mountain lion".
  5. ^ While the athletic nicknames of all Penn State campuses incorporate the word "Lions" in some way—most notably the Nittany Lions nickname of the main campus—this refers in all cases to the cougar (aka "mountain lion"). The main campus uses a stylized cougar's head in its athletic logo, and one of that campus' most prominent landmarks is a larger-than-life sculpture of a cougar. Most other Penn State campuses feature a replica of this sculpture.
  6. ^ Formally the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, academically branded as "UA Little Rock", but athletically known as Little Rock.
  7. ^ The former women's nickname of "Women of Troy" is still officially acceptable, but has mostly been superseded by Trojans.
  8. ^ Derived from the fact that the institution, which had opened in 1946, was saved from closure in 1949 when it was taken over by the city of Charlotte. The only relation to the mining term is that the university's founder felt the school embodied the "49er spirit" of California Gold Rush settlers.
  9. ^ Not derived from the title of nobility, but instead from the university's second president, Samuel Page Duke.
  10. ^ Nickname specifically honors 19th-century transportation mogul "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who supplied the university's initial endowment.
  11. ^ Usually refers to the geographic feature, but can also refer to a lake freighter, a ship designed and built for the Great Lakes trade, and by extension to an individual who serves on such a ship.
  12. ^ This school's mascot is a caricatured maritime captain.
  13. ^ This school's athletic logo consists primarily of an anchor.
  14. ^ Sports teams also branded as "The Mount".
  15. ^ a b c Tribal college or university.
  16. ^ Originally founded to educate Native Americans, with longstanding historic ties to the local Lumbee people.
  17. ^ Not a culturally based nickname, but rather on the school's location on Ward Island, a peninsula between Corpus Christi Bay and Oso Bay that is locally treated as an island.
  18. ^ a b Here, the nickname of "Pilots" refers to the maritime profession.
  19. ^ Franciscan's nickname specifically references its city's namesake, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.
  20. ^ The university's formal name is University of Wisconsin–Parkside, but it has branded its athletic program as "Parkside" since 2018.
  21. ^ The nickname is one of the most famous nicknames of the university's namesake, Abraham Lincoln.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mississippi State Traditions".
  2. ^ "Akron". www.gozips.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07.
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