Nebraska College Nicknames Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bluejays

Creighton University was established in 1878 in Nebraska's biggest city, Omaha. A local newspaper ran a contest in 1924 to choose a nickname for the college and Bluejays (one word, not two) was chosen because it reflected the school's colours.
Creighton is a member of the Big East Conference, but hasn't fielded a gridiron team since 1942.

Answer: Prairie Wolves

Nebraska Wesleyan University was founded in 1887 in the state capital of Nebraska, Lincoln. The school has had a number of nicknames through the years, including Sunflowers, Coyotes and Plainsmen. Prairie Wolves was adopted in 2020. NWU is a member of the NCAA Division III American Rivers Conference, formerly known as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The school has won Division III national titles in men's basketball and golf.

Answer: Mavericks

The University of Nebraska Omaha was founded in 1908 and is part of the University of Nebraska system. UNO was nicknamed Indians for many years, before changing to the more socially-acceptable Mavericks in 1971. The school has had numerous conference affiliations throughout their history and joined the Summit League in 2012.

The Mavericks won a number of national titles at NCAA Division II level, with their greatest successes coming from their men's wrestling squads.

Answer: Wildcats

Wayne State College was established in 1910 in the city of Wayne in Wayne County. The school should not be confused with Wayne State University in Detroit or Wayne College in Akron, Ohio. The Wildcats nickname is an alliterative one and is one of the most common in US college sports. The Wildcats are members of the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

Answer: Tigers

Doane University was established in 1872 in Crete, Saline County. Tigers is a common nickname in US college sports, and Doane's choice of this moniker relfects the school's orange and black colours. Doane is a member of the NAIA Great Plains Athletic Conference.

Answer: Bobcats

Peru State College was founded in 1865 in Nemaha County. The Bobcats nickname was selected by the editor of the school newspaper in 1921 who wanted the school's players to "fight like a bobcat". Peru State is a member of the NAIA Heart of America Athletic Conference. Their gridiron squad were national champions at NAIA Division II level in 1990.

Answer: Cornhuskers

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was estalished in 1869 and is the flagship institution of the University of Nebraska system. Originally called Bugeaters, the school adopted Cornhuskers as its nickname in 1900, 46 years before the state of Nebraska adopted it as its own official nickname.

The Cornhuskers have had a number of conference affiliations through the years, and joined the Big Ten in 2011. The school's most famous sports teams have been their gridiron squads, which won 12 national crowns during the 20th century.

Answer: Lopers

The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) was established in Buffalo County in 1905. The Lopers moniker (from pronghorn antelope) was chosen in 1923 to reflect speed and agility. UNK are members of the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The school's wrestling teams won Division II national crowns five times between 2008 and 2025.

Answer: Broncos

Hastings College was founded in 1882 in Adams County. The school's nickname is Broncos, and their horse mascot is called Bosco. Hastings is a member of the NAIA Great Plains Athletic Conference.

Answer: Eagles

Chadron State College was established in 1911 in Dawes County. The school's Eagles moniker is a common one in US college sports, and their mascot is called Elmo. The Eagles are members of the NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The school has won numerous Division II national titles in wrestling and track & field.