Former Nicknames and Stories #4 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the following schools received their nickname when a dog jumped out of the stands during a baseball game and prevented an opposing player from scoring a run?

Answer: Wofford

The story goes that the baseball team went and adopted the pet terrier named Jack after the incident. They have had a number of different dogs that served as mascots but Jack is still the favorite of the Wofford faithful.

2. Which University's teams were once named for a group of Massachusetts fishermen, and then years after they changed their nickname, their head basketball coach refused to accept it and never used it?

Answer: Oregon

The Ducks were once known as the Webfoots because the State of Oregon was the Webfoot State, due to the inordinate amount of New Englanders that migrated there. Now, however, the University's nickname is "Ducks" mainly because of some lazy journalists, and the ever popular Donald Duck is their mascot.

The Duck did not always have the support of the athletic department, however, as former Men's Basketball coach, Dick Harter, refused to use the term "Ducks", and called his team the "Kamikaze Kids".

3. Which of the following schools has a mascot that is a kangaroo, although their nickname does not imply that at all?

Answer: Virginia Military Institute

VMI's official nickname is the "Keydets", but no one is entirely sure what that means (some think it is the gray color of the military uniforms and others think it is a slang term for "Cadets" brought about by a Southern drawl). The mascot however is a kangaroo.

The story goes that a couple of cheerleaders just thought it odd that no one used the kangaroo as a mascot, so they got one and started using it.

4. What University other than Georgetown derived its nickname from a cheer?

Answer: Virginia Tech

The full cheer is:
Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi!
Tech, Tech, VPI
Sol-a-rex, Sol-a-rah
Poly Tech Vir-gin-ia
Ray rah VPI
Team! Team! Team!

The team adopted the Hokie name and the rest is history.

5. Which college's mascot and, subsequently, their nickname came to them from the beakhead of explorer LaSalle's ill-fated caravel?

Answer: Canisius

The Golden Griffin was a mythological figure that graced the beakhead of Sieur de LaSalle's ship, the "Griffon", that he used to explore the Great Lakes. Canisius adopted the nickname in the 1930s as a tribute to the exploring spirit.

6. Which time-honored sport's tradition was attributed to Brother Jasper, the man whose name is synonymous with Manhattan College?

Answer: The seventh inning stretch

Brother Jasper noticed the fans in the seventh inning of a baseball game between Manhattan College and a semi-pro team called the Metropolitans were restless and edgy before his team batted, so he called a time out and asked them all to stand and stretch until the game resumed. Manhattan College played the New York Giants several times during the year and eventually the custom took hold and continues today.

7. What institution's teams can trace their nickname back to 1858 when their rowing coach purchased six Chinese red bandanas to distinguish his rowers from the competitors?

Answer: Harvard

The Harvard Student Body adopted the color and the nickname, "Crimson", about 17 years later, but the incident of the bandanas is said to be the oldest incident in which a uniform of some sort was ever used in a team sporting event.

8. Which University's teams were formerly known as the Pumpkin Shuckers, Cornfield Sailors, Foundry Hands and Railsplitters before becoming what they are now?

Answer: Purdue

The name "Boilermakers" was originally an insult hurled at the Purdue athletes from the newspaper journalists at neighboring Wabash College, who considered them brutes because they came from a land-grant institution.

9. Which University's team was originally known as simply the "Big Red Team" and later boasted a bear as its mascot?

Answer: Cornell

Interestingly, the "Big Red" monicker of Cornell came from a fight song. The University had no nickname at the time of the writing, so the author of the song just inserted "big, red team" into the song out of necessity.

10. Which University with the nickname "Tigers" attributed their nickname to an Oliver Goldsmith poem entitled, "The Deserted Village", which was written in 1770?

Answer: Auburn

Give credit to the Auburners for being high-brow. The exact passage reads, "where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey..." The reason this poem has such significance to them is that it also says, "Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain..." It might be noted that they are often called the Plainsmen for this reason, much to their chagrin.

Source: Author WilkeCollins

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Welcome to a few more interesting mascot stories. They are difficult for sure, but they are meant to entertain more than challenge. Enjoy.

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