I’m not much of a sports fan, but I am intrigued by the nicknames colleges give to their sports teams. Although many are uninspired (e.g., Bears, Beavers, and Bobcats), others provide great fodder for creative visualization, like this list of team match-ups I’d like to see.
- Meredith College Angels vs. University of the Sciences in Philadelphia Devils
- Gettysburg College Bullets vs. Ursuline College Arrows
- University of Illinois-Chicago Flames vs. Alverno College Inferno
- Texas A& M University-Corpus Christi Islanders vs. Hamilton College Continentals
- Humboldt State University Lumberjacks vs. Menlo College Oaks
- California State University-Northridge Matadors vs. University of South Florida Bulls
- University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners vs. University of South Dakota Coyotes
- University of Richmond Spiders vs. College of the Atlantic Black Flies
- Rollins College Tars vs. Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne Mastodons
- Skidmore College Thoroughbreds vs. Western New Mexico University Mustangs
- Wheaton College Thunder vs. Lehman College-City University of New York Lightning
Special thanks to Adam Joshua Smargon for his exhaustive online list of College Nicknames.
Interested in learning more about the origins of college sports nicknames? Check out The College Names of the Games: The Stories Behind the Nicknames of 293 College Sports Teams on Amazon.com.
