12/21/24
February 15, 2006
Fighting Artichokes?: Ok, so I took some courses at Scottsdale Community College a few years back. At the time was and I guess I still am convinced that they had they single most weird team name. Anyone want to challenge that?
posted by commander cody to general at 01:03 AM - 46 comments
also, Stetson Hatters, my almost alma-mater
posted by erkno11 at 01:14 AM on February 15, 2006
Stetson Hatters? I must say that does come close. I went to Eastern Michigan for most of my college, but hated the Eagles name because it seemed like every 3rd or 4th high school had the same name. My high school was Bearcats for God's sake.
posted by commander cody at 01:18 AM on February 15, 2006
How about University of California Irvine "Anteaters" or The Whittier College "Poets"
posted by ccsal at 01:26 AM on February 15, 2006
UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. 'Nuff said.
posted by pivo at 01:32 AM on February 15, 2006
The UC-Santa Cruz Banana Slugs always come up in conversations like this, as do the Cal State-Long Beach Dirtbags. A quick scan of this list produces such gems as the South Dakota M&T Hardrockers, the University of Baltimore Super Bees, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels and the Amherst Lord Jeffs, as well as some that are just clever. (The Pace Setters? Nice!)
posted by chicobangs at 01:34 AM on February 15, 2006
Also, even the people at St. Louis University don't really know what their mascot is. (See? Never, ever say "'nuff said.")
posted by chicobangs at 01:45 AM on February 15, 2006
Great list Chicobangs. Luv the battlin beavers. I'm sure there's a sexist joke in there somewhere, but I won't touch it. thanks for the list though.
posted by commander cody at 02:21 AM on February 15, 2006
In my over-35s soccer league we play against the Nimbin Headers. When you imagine the town of Nimbin, New South Wales, think it being number one on the list of places Weedy McSmokey might like to visit, and Steve Earle's 'Copperhead Road' on the soundtrack.
posted by owlhouse at 03:03 AM on February 15, 2006
The Fighting Artichokes? My only question is who were they fighting against? The Limp Spinach? .
posted by nflhou02 at 04:18 AM on February 15, 2006
Commander Cody won't touch the Battlin' Beavers? Sorry...couldn't let that one pass.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 04:43 AM on February 15, 2006
In the year of 1986, ESPN,"Sports America Show," compiled the 10 top nicknames for high school sports teams. the "Nimrods" ranked third out of the 10 top nicknames.I think a better name for a Winslow, AZ team would be the The Eagles, The Flatbed Fords or even The Corners. When you pass through Winslow there are a ton of signs inviting you to come down to the corner! My high school team name was funny, (Billies), especially if you knew the town name, (Pleasant Hill), and said it together. Pleasant Hill Billies.
- SYRUPMAKERS of Cairo,GA.
- BEETDIGGERS of Brush,Colo.
- NIMRODS of Watersmeet, MI.
- IMPS of Cary,N.C.
- ATOMSMASHERS of Jonhson Prep, Savannah,GA.
- ANGORAS of Clarkston,GA.
- FLIVVERS of Kingsford,MI.
- SQUIRRELS of Winslow,AZ.
- PEGLEGS of Stuyvesant in New York City
- DOTS of Poca,W. VA.
posted by geekyguy at 04:51 AM on February 15, 2006
A locla high school was the Fighting Cherries. They have since changed it
posted by scottypup at 08:19 AM on February 15, 2006
Ohio State BB coach Thad Matta's high school was the Hoopeston Cornjerkers.
posted by wwarrior at 08:28 AM on February 15, 2006
I'm a Stuyvesant grad and always said we'd be better as the Fightin' Gimps or somesuch. Peglegs, pshaw!
posted by ajaffe at 08:35 AM on February 15, 2006
I always thought that the (Aitkin, MN) Aitkin High School Gobblers was weird and that having a turkey for a mascot was weird too: 
posted by chris2sy at 08:54 AM on February 15, 2006
Loved the gobblers. I think names should strike fear or spread disease: Texas Tumors, Louisiana lymphomas or how about Kansas City Car-Jackers, Pittsburg Pistol-Whippers.
posted by kosmicdebris at 09:10 AM on February 15, 2006
If a female Gobbler is a Hen Gobbler, what is a male called?
posted by MeatSaber at 09:28 AM on February 15, 2006
The Fighting Maroons, often mistaken for the morons by the opposing teams.
posted by Familyman at 10:05 AM on February 15, 2006
A couple of my favorites from my days calling high-school football and basketball in Illinois: * The Teutoplois Wooden Shoes, a town full of really tall and attractive women. They rock at basketball, by the way. * The Cobden Appleknockers, named for the number of apple orchards in southern Illinois. * The Depue Little Giants, which doesn't make any freaking sense. * The Dieterich Movin' Maroons, which always made me think of bowel movements.
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:30 AM on February 15, 2006
A little bit off subject, but still school related. The middle school I went to (then taught at) is Elm Street Middle. But its address is Morgan Valley Rd.
posted by Wrigley South at 11:05 AM on February 15, 2006
How about the San Fran U. Dons
posted by Wrigley South at 11:07 AM on February 15, 2006
My high school team was called the Cobblers (yes, the mascot was a shoemaker). I then went on to college at SD Tech, noted by chicobangs as the Hardrockers. I went to work in a town where the high school team was known as the Fighting Farmers. I guess I should have seen all that coming since my favorite NFL team is the Packers.
posted by joaquim at 11:14 AM on February 15, 2006
Near where I grew up is the town of Orofino, Idaho. High school team: the Maniacs. Orofino also just happens to be where the Idaho state mental asylum is located. Awesome. 
posted by Skot at 12:05 PM on February 15, 2006
Commander Cody won't touch the Battlin' Beavers? Sorry...couldn't let that one pass. posted by The_Black_Hand at 4:43 AM CST on February 15 Oh I wanted to so bad....but trying to clean up my rep here. lol.
posted by commander cody at 12:17 PM on February 15, 2006
A locla high school was the Fighting Cherries. They have since changed it Was that just the girls teams...I hope? In my old high school (Battle Creek Central) none of the girls would have made the team if that name was a qualification.
posted by commander cody at 12:19 PM on February 15, 2006
ESPN,"Sports America Show," compiled the 10 top nicknames for high school sports teams. the "Nimrods" ranked third out of the 10 top nicknames I have to disagree with ESPN, out of those choices I think Nimrods is about as strange as they get.
posted by commander cody at 12:20 PM on February 15, 2006
* The Cobden Appleknockers, named for the number of apple orchards in southern Illinois I swear I knew a girl in the Air Force who's nickname was appleknockers. um....ok...I'll let it go at that.
posted by commander cody at 12:22 PM on February 15, 2006
How about the San Fran U. Dons I don't see it. Isn't it a Fransiscan school? Dons makes sense. Whereas Nimrod makes me think of the classic line-up: Nimrod, Quimby, Ramrod and The Ref.
posted by yerfatma at 12:27 PM on February 15, 2006
I like the San Fran U. Dons, as it's one of my favorite Korean dishes. Mmmm, with fried chicken on top.
posted by wfrazerjr at 01:40 PM on February 15, 2006
it's one of my favorite Korean dishes. I had a favorite Korean dish once! Her name was....um...never mind. She wasn't technically a "sport".
posted by commander cody at 01:53 PM on February 15, 2006
kosmicdebris...I understand that you were trying to spoof humorous nicknames. However, the names Lymphoma and Tumors were in bad taste. There is nothing funny about cancer! I had a Tumor, it turned out to be a Lymphoma(Non-Hodgkins)!I don't expect you to understand, unless you've lived through something such as that. Also, wasn't the Pittsburgh Pistol-Whippers the team we witnessed in the Super Bowl?
posted by nflhou02 at 01:59 PM on February 15, 2006
nflhou02, the way you look at it isn't necessarily the way all survivors look at it. Several of us have been through it, and many cancer survivors and their families choose to joke about it. Call it a defense mechanism, call it anything you want, but don't censor everybody else because of how you feel. Congrats on being a survivor, by the way. Continued good health to you.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 02:04 PM on February 15, 2006
MY bad, to any I have offended, sorry for being so insensitive. (actually, as I recall, the tumor belongs to George Carlin) To the rest of you Grow some tougher skin these are full contact sports.
posted by kosmicdebris at 02:18 PM on February 15, 2006
many cancer survivors and their families choose to joke about it. Call it a defense mechanism, call it anything you want, but don't censor everybody else because of how you feel. Amen. My mom is a survivor of breast cancer (15+ years now), had a single mastectomy and she told me she hated the fact that everyone seemed to be terrified of saying the wrong thing to her. When I visted her in the hospital after the surgery I walked in and said "So Ma, how's it hanging?". My sister about had a heart attack, but my mom laughed so hard the nurse almost threw me out of the room. Guess ya had to be there.
posted by commander cody at 02:21 PM on February 15, 2006
I don't know where It fits in the conversation now. But my high school was the Chesty Lions. Not just lions... Chesty Lions. I always thought it was strange. I guess it is to represent pride. Maybe it was a double ontondre. OK I can't spell.
posted by wassup at 02:48 PM on February 15, 2006
I looked up "Chesty Lions" on Yahoo and it say's they're "Chesty" because their chests puff up with pride. Now the Vineland N.J. High School "Fighting Clan" might want to reconsider their name. I wonder if they have trouble getting Black athletes to play for them?
posted by commander cody at 03:19 PM on February 15, 2006
Fighting Artichokes is one of the weirdest names I've seen so far. My picks: Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino Montgomery Biscuits (guessing the same food lover who named the artichokes named the biscuits).
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:14 PM on February 15, 2006
I think the great thing about being named the Fighting Artichokes is that if the other team beats you their fans will say "Well so what! You beat a team named after a vegatable!" and if you beat them all they're left with is "What you got beat by an Artichoke!". It's a win-win.
posted by commander cody at 01:32 AM on February 16, 2006
The Richland College (Dallas, TX) Thunderducks
posted by alumshubby at 05:10 AM on February 16, 2006
I run the aforementioned College Nicknames list, and I have been doing do since 1993. My favorite is still the Figtning Banana Slugs from the University of California at Santa Cruz. I learned that most nicknames reflect any or all of the following: (1) something local to the area, (2) something about the school, or(3) something that strikes fear into the opposing team. I'm a graduate of the University of Florida; the mighty mighty Florida Gators certainly fulfill (1) and (3) above. I'm also a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; RPI is the only tech school I know of in the U.S. that plays Division I hockey. Their nickname (for hockey, anyway) is the Engineers. That certainly fits in (2) above. I'm back in school (!) again, at the University of New Hampshire. UNH has a boring and common nickname: Wildcats. I have no idea if wildcats are native to the Granite State; I doubt it. Nonetheless, it fits (3) above. One last note: in the summer of 2005, there was a major controversy regarding the NCAA's decision to penalize schools with offensive nicknames. One of the more visible schools under scrutiny were the Seminoles of Florida State University -- a team I love to cheer against. (I am, after all, a Gator fan.) However, I do know that the Seminole Tribe of Florida actually has a positive working relationship with FSU Athletics. The tribe gives the school all the information about the traditions, the colors, the dances, and so on... with all the details required. FSU Athletics takes all this information directly from the tribe and does it perfectly. This article from the Tampa Tribune gives more detail. My best guess is that the tribe sees FSU Athletics as an extension of their own marketing division, and I respect both groups for this win-win situation. But I still cheer against them. :)
posted by recycler1973 at 10:52 AM on February 16, 2006
posted by kafkaesque at 11:20 AM on February 16, 2006
I don't want to get into a religious discussion by any means but somewhere around the line "NIMROD" changed meaning......
posted by Grrrlacher at 02:58 PM on February 16, 2006
The Black Hand... Thank you for the support. However, I was not trying to censor anyone (isn't this the reason we have these , so everyone can say something wthout fear of censorship?). I said what I did because people like to sling arrows without any sensitivity towards people. I applaud those that have humor, even to laugh in the face of danger! But do it with class, instead of just saying the words. As kosmic debris wrote afterward, he didn't mean to offend anybody. But had he said that when he wrote his comments, then it would have been clear that it was in fun. But I have seen too many times people just taking a whack at others, no matter who gets hurt. I have a great sense of humor, or I wouldn't have made it. I was merely trying to point out that you need to clarify your intentions some times. To kosmic...thank you. Sorry if I seem to come on strong against you. It is still a little fresh, as I just finished treatment in January. I was NOT trying to censor you.
posted by nflhou02 at 06:02 PM on February 16, 2006
to laugh in the face of danger You do realize, Danger's my middle name. Congrats on ending treatment, best of health (and humor) to you now and forever.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 10:06 AM on February 17, 2006
The Black Hand..... LOL....Thank you!
posted by nflhou02 at 07:15 PM on February 17, 2006
tough to beat a fighting artichoke, but my high school nickname was the blue streaks