Funny team names

[drothamel]

I found this website that lists just about every one there is, and includes all of the ones that we have mentioned thus far. It is pretty interesting.

http://www.halcyon.com/marcs/mascot.html

[w_sohl]

my wife was a Ft. Branch Twig in jr. high in Southern Indiana near Evansville, there is also the Owensville Kickapoos, but they are Indians I think.

[mikesears]

Originally posted by M&M Guy

You're right - Effingham is still the Flaming Hearts. And I believe Freeport (in northern IL) are the Pretzels and Lady Pretzels. And I just remembered the Vandalia Vandals.

They are the New Berlin Pretzels. (That's New BER'-lin, not ber-'LIN).

Here is a link to the IHSA website:

http://www.ihsa.org/school/schools/newberln.htm


Kind of like Athens, IL (pronounced Ay-thens) and San Jose, IL where the "J" makes the "J" sound and not the Spanish "H" sound. and the "E" is silent.


[Edited by mikesears on Mar 9th, 2005 at 12:51 PM]

[pbrad59]

Grew up near Effingham so I know the "Flaming Hearts" and T-Town "Wooden Shoes". Cobden, in Southern Illinois, known for it's fruit orchards has the "Appleknockers".

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by pbrad59

Grew up near Effingham so I know the "Flaming Hearts" and T-Town "Wooden Shoes". Cobden, in Southern Illinois, known for it's fruit orchards has the "Appleknockers".

I grew up in Illinois and remember the Appleknockers very well. I think one year, the five starters were all related to each other and were all named "Smith".

Also in Illinois we had the Kankakee K's (what else?) and possibly the most offensive name (along with Washington Redskins), the Pekin Chinks (no, I am not kidding).

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I grew up in Illinois and remember the Appleknockers very well. I think one year, the five starters were all related to each other and were all named "Smith".

Also in Illinois we had the Kankakee K's (what else?) and possibly the most offensive name (along with Washington Redskins), the Pekin Chinks (no, I am not kidding).

I've heard of their grandmother.

[mikesears]

Originally posted by M&M Guy

I live only 5 miles from the Assembly Hall, home of the #1 basketball team in the country, in Champaign.

I'm familiar with the Scotties as well, because I refereed one of my first games in that gym. There was no room along any of the sidelines. The benches were up on the stage, along with the table; the kids had to jump up and down off the stage to go in and out of the game. The stands were permanent and raised on the other side, complete with railings in front. (If anyone has ever been to the Corn Palace in South Dakota - it's set up the same way except 10 times smaller...) The endlines were only about a foot from the brick walls, so they set up "restraining" lines about a foot in from the actual endlines for the throw-ins. And finally, the floor was so small they had the three lines across the center of the court - one center line, and two other lines on either side of the circle. They would use the center line as the 10-second line, then the furthest of the three lines away from that team's basket as an "over and back" line, because the center line was only about 10 feet from the top of the key. Imagine being a new official trying to learn all the "real" rules, and trying to keep straight all the lines as well. Geesh.

I believe they recently built a new grade school and tore this one down. But the Scotties still remain. [/B]

Go Illini!!!!!

I am in Bloomington. When I still worked basketball games, I worked my first ever game at Fisher Jr High. Are the fans there still as rowdy as they used to be? That court was so small! Glad to hear they built a new school (hopefully with a larger gym).

[Forksref]

Grafton, ND "Spoilers" (apparently they spoiled the season for an opponent many years ago)

Starkweather,ND "Stormkings" and "Stormqueens" (joined with Munich, ND and are now the "Purple Storm")

Sauk Centre, MN "Mainstreeters" - (home of Sinclair Lewis who wrote "Main Street") affectionately known as the "Streeters"

Hope, ND "Hustlers"

Montpelier, ND "Purple Martins"

Drayton, ND "Bombers"

Valley City, ND "Hi-Liners" (refers to very high railroad trestle)

[RecRef]

Originally posted by drothamel
I found this website that lists just about every one there is, and includes all of the ones that we have mentioned thus far. It is pretty interesting.

http://www.halcyon.com/marcs/mascot.html

They missed Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The nickname is “The High School.” EHS, founded in 1839, was the first pure high in the state.

BTW, if you want to send your child to EHS it will cost you just under $32,000 a year.

[JRutledge]

Mikesears and M&M Guy,

Did you guys not see my Pretzel post at the beginning?

BTW, there was a guy trying to write a book about the nicknames of Illinois High Schools. This guy came to a Fox Valley Football Official's meeting a few years back and had information on just about every name and some history. He knew why schools had unusual names and their origin. I do not know what happen with that book idea, but he had a lot of good information.

Peace

[Texref]

Bridgeport (TX) Sissies, this is the girls Team, the boys are the Bulls. I guess you can't call them Cows

[lds7199]

Here are a few from Arkansas:

Danville, Little Johns

Smackover, Buckaroos

Harrison, Goblins

Hermitage, Hermits

Warren, Lumberjacks

Dardanelle, Sand Lizards

and finally...

Ozark, Hillbillies

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Forksref
Drayton, ND "Bombers"

My High School was named the Bombers (Macomb).

I was told when I was in HS the name was for two reasons. One was the name had a military affiliation to go along with the local university that was named after the U.S Marines (Western Illinois Leathernecks). The other reason was that one of the soldiers that were on the "Enola Gay" Bomber that dropped the first nuclear bomb on Japan was from Macomb. I know that was talked about when there was a made for TV movie called I believe "Enola Gay," which was about the soldiers and events of that bombing.

Peace

[gsf23]

some more from ND.

Ray High School Ray Jays
Kenmare Honkers
Max High School Cossacks
New Salem Holsteins
Oak Grove Grovers

And in South Dakota, I always liked the South Dakota Tech. Hard Rockers.

[rockyroad]

Washington State also has the Ridgefield HS "Spudders" and the Ilwaco HS "Fishermen (or Fisherladies)" and the Wahkiakum HS "Mules"...