Texas College Nicknames Trivia Quiz

Answer: Longhorns

Established in 1883, the University of Texas has its flagship campus in the state capital of Austin. The school's teams have been known as Longhorns since 1900, and a live bull called Bevo is their mascot. Texas had a number of conference affiliations over the years, and joined the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 2024.

The Longhorns have won numerous national titles over the years, including four by their gridiron squad between 1963 and 2005.

Answer: Javelinas

Texas A&M University-Kingsville was founded as South Texas Normal School in 1917 and underwent a number of name changes until adopting its current moniker in 1989 when it became a part of the Texas A&M system. A javelina is another name for a collared peccary, and has been the nickname of the school since 1925.

The Javelinas are a member of the Lone Star Conference which was an NAIA league until 1982 when it moved to NCAA Division II. The school's gridiron teams won seven NAIA national crowns between 1959 and 1979.

Answer: Bears

Baylor University was founded in 1845 in the city of Waco and was named after one of its founders, a Baptist minister called Robert Baylor. The Bears name is an alliterative one, and the school has two black bears as live mascots, Judge Indy and Judge Belle. Baylor has been a member of the Big 12 Conference since 1996 and has achieved much success on the basketball court in the early 21st century - their women won three National Championships between 2005 and 2019, with the men weighing in with their own crown in 2021.

Answer: Bearkats

Sam Houston State University (SHSU) was established in the city of Huntsville in 1879, and named after the statesman who was the first President of the Republic of Texas. The Bearkat nickname is deliberately misspelled, and is not thought to actually apply to the South American binturong/bearcat. SHSU, after many years as a member the Divsion 1-AA Southland Conference, moved up to FBS level in 2022 as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, before joining Conference USA in 2023.

In 2020, the Bearkats gridiron team were national champions at FCS level.

Answer: Horned Frogs

Texas Christian University, normally referred to as TCU, was founded in Fort Worth in 1873. The horned frog isn't an amphibian at all but a lizard, prevalent in Texas. TCU has used the Horned Frogs nickname since the late 19th century. The school has had numerous conference affiliations over the years, and joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012. TCU has been most successful in rifle, with their co-ed teams winning four national crowns between 2010 and 2024.

Answer: Roadrunners

The University of Texas at San Antonio, usually referred to as UTSA, was founded in 1969 in the third-largest city in Texas. Roadrunners was selected as the college's nickname in 1977 by a student vote. Formerly a member of the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA, UTSA joined the American Athletic Conference in 2023.

Answer: Miners

The University of Texas at El Paso, usually referred to as UTEP, was founded in 1913. The Miners nickname refers to the school's original name of State School of Mines and Metallurgy. UTEP joined Conference USA in 2005 before announcing their departure to the Mountain West Conference for the 2026 season.

The Miners' greatest triumph came in 1966, when, under their previous name of Texas Western, they won the NCAA men's basketball National Championship.

Answer: Aggies

Texas A&M (the A&M bit stands for agricultural and mechanical) was founded in 1876 in College Station, Brazos County, and is the flagship campus of the A&M University System. The Aggies nickname is a common one for schools in the USA which were originally agricultural.

The Aggies were members of the Big 12 Conference before departing for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 2012. The school has won numerous national titles across a range of sports, with the men's and women's archery squads being particularly successful.

Answer: Mustangs

Southern Methodist University (SMU) was established in Dallas in 1911. The Mustangs nickname was adopted in 1917. SMU have had a number of conference affiliations over the years and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2024. The Mustangs won a share of the gridiron national championship in 1935, whilst their men's track and field squads won a number of titles in the 1980s.

Answer: Bobcats

Texas State University was founded in San Marcos, Hays County, in 1899. Their sports teams have been known as Bobcats since 1921. Texas State have been members of the Sun Belt Conference since 1921. The school has won two national championships, both at NAIA level, winning back-to-back men's tennis crowns in the early 1980s.

Answer: Owls

Rice University was established in Houston in 1912. It was named after businessman William Marsh Rice who left money in his will for an educational establishment in his name. Owls is a fairly common nickname in US college sports, due to their "wisdom". Rice has had a number of conference affiliations throughout its history, and joined the American Athletic Conference in 2023.

The Owls' baseball team won the 2003 College World Series.

Answer: Mean Green

The University of North Texas was established in Denton in 1890. The Mean Green nickname has existed since 1966 and alludes to that year's gridiron defensive squad, along with the colours of their jerseys. They were previously called Eagles, and they retain the eagle as their mascot. North Texas have had numerous conference affiliations down the years, and joined the American Athletic Association in 2023.

The school's men's golf team won four straight national crowns between 1949 and 1952.

Answer: Cougars

The University of Houston was founded in the largest city in Texas in 1927. Their Cougars nickname was suggested by football coach John Bender, who had previously been head coach of the Washington State Cougars. Houston have been members of various conferences throughout their history, and joined the Big 12 Conference in 2023. By far the most successful sports teams at UH have been their men's golf squads who won 16 national titles between 1956 and 1985.

Answer: Cowboys

Hardin-Simmons University was established in 1891 in the city of Abilene, and takes its name from two contributors. They have been known as Cowboys (the women's teams are called Cowgirls) since long before the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL were founded. The school joined the NCAA Division III American Southwest Conference in 1996.

The school's most successful program has been the women's soccer squad, with the Cowgirls winning the Division III national title in 2010.

Answer: Red Raiders

Texas Tech was established in the city of Lubbock in 1923. The school was nicknamed Matadors before Red Raiders was adopted in the late 1930's. A local newspaper gave them this new name due to their red uniforms and coast-to-coast schedule. Texas Tech were a founding member of the Big 12 Conference in 1996.

In 1993, their women's basketball team (who call themselves Lady Raiders) won the national title, whilst their men's teams only national crowns have come in track & field.