University Nicknames Trivia Quiz

Answer: Demon Deacons

One of the "other" North Carolina colleges, Wake Forest enjoys strong athletic traditions in both men's basketball and men's golf. Wake Forest competes in the ACC. Notable alums: Tim Duncan, Rodney Rodgers, Lanny Wadkins and Curtis Strange.

Answer: Green Wave

With a name derived from the color of their uniforms, Tulane is located in New Orleans LA. Tulane competes in Conference USA. Notable alum: Jerald Honeycutt, Shaun King.

Answer: Friars

Named for the monks that founded this small Christian college in the capital city of our smallest state (RI), PC has enjoyed some success in men's basketball competing against much bigger schools in the Big East. Notable alums: Otis Thorpe, Eric Murdock, Eric Williams, Austin Croshere.

Answer: Thundering Herd

Located in West Virginia,Marshall has earned recent recognition with nationally ranked football programs. Notable alums: Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, and current heisman hopeful--Byron Leftwich.

Answer: Fightin' Blue Hens

Named after the state bird of Delaware, the blue hen was recognized for its ferocity and success in cock fights. Delaware competes in the CAA. Notable alum: Dallas Green--former major league baseball player and manager of the Mets, Rich Gannon.

Answer: Flying Dutchmen

Located in New York, Hofsta University's Dutchmen were named for the Dutch heritage of the school's founder. Hofstra competes in the Atlantic-10 in football. Notable alum: Wayne Chrebet. They later changed their name to 'Pride'.

Answer: Minutemen

Named for the militia of the revolutionary war who were supposed to be ready for battle in a minute's notice, the Minutemen of UMASS were formerly know as the Redmen until political correctness reared its ugly head in the early 1970's. UMASS at Amherst competes in the Atlantic-10. Notable alums: Dr. J Julius Erving and Marcus Camby.

Answer: Black Bears

Named after the black bears indiginous to the state's forests, the University of Maine consistently produces one of the nation's top ice hockey teams. Notable alum: Author--Stephen King.

Answer: Dragons

Located in Philadelphia, Drexel University also competes in the CAA. Drexel had some moderate successs in men's basketball in the 1990s, making three straight NCAA tournaments. I couldn't find the origin of the dragon nickname however, so if you know it, leave me a message.

Answer: Cowboys

Competing in the Big 12, Oklahoma State has been a nation powerhouse in football and basketball. Their mascot "Pistol Pete" harkens to the state's history in the "Old West." Notable alums: Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Bob Tway, Pete Incaviglia, Robin Ventura and Bryant "Big Country" Reeves.

Answer: Red Raiders

Known as the matadors until the 1920's, they were dubbed the Red Raiders for their uniform colors and dominant play by a sports writer. Competing in the Big 12, Texas Tech has had success in both football and basketball, recently gaining notoriety for signing Bobby Knight as head coach of the men's basketball team. Notable alums: Zach Thomas, Sheryl Swoopes, Byron Hanspard and Sammy Morris.

Answer: Bulldogs

Locate in Spokane Washington, Gonzaga was originally the Blue and Whites and then the Fighting Irish in an attempt to be the Notre Dame of the West. They became the Bulldogs in 1921 when a sportswriter, impressed with the football team's "bulldog-like tenacity", dubbed them so.

The name "zags" has also been used as an alternative nickname but is not the official mascot. Competing in the West Coast Conference, Gonzaga has enjoyed tremendous recent success in men's basketball--appearing in the sweet-16 three years in a row from 99-01 and five years total since 95. Cinderellas no more. Famous alums: John Stockton, Casey Cavalry, Dan Dickau.

Answer: Golden Flashes

Located in Ohio, Kent State is most infamous for the student protest that ended with four students shot dead by National Guardsmen in 1970. The name Golden Flashes was the result of a contest to rename the school's teams in 1926, following the dismissal of the college president who had named them the Silver Foxes after his own pet. Competing in the MAC, Kent State has had some recent success in men's basketball. Famous alums: Dustin Hermanson, Lou Holtz, Jack Lambert and Thurman Munson.

Answer: Mountaineers

Named for the frontiersmen of the Appalachian region, the Mountaineers have a long athletic tradition in the Big East. Notable alums: James Jett, Jeff Hostetler, Jerry West, Rod Thorn and Darryl Talley.

Answer: Musketeers

Located in Cincinati Ohio, the musketeers were named by a student in a naming contest. The student believed that the "all for 1, 1 for all" philosophy suited the university. Xavier competes in the Atlantic 10 conference. Notable alums: Jim Bunning, Brian Grant and Tyrone Hill.

Answer: Monarchs

Located in Virginia, Old Dominion has had a tremendous amount of recent success with their women's basketball teams. Notable alums: Nancy Lieberman and Mark West.

Answer: Ducks

Competing in the PAC-10, the Ducks have been nationally ranked in both basketball and football. Notable alums: Norm VanBrocklin, Dan Fouts, Chris Miller, Alex Molden and Terrell Brandon.

Answer: Golden Eagles

Chosen as the new nickname after a vote by students, teachers and alums in 1994. Marquette is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and competes in Conference USA. Notable alum: actor Don Ameche.

Answer: Golden Hurricane

After going through several nicknames including Presbyterians, Tigers, Orange and Black, and Tulsans, a new coach dubbed them the Golden Hurricane for the way they roared through opponents and the color of their uniforms in 1922. Competing in the WAC, Tulsa has made the sweet-16 numerous times. Notable alums: Don Blackmon, Steve Largent and Nancy Lopez.

Answer: Golden Bears

Named the Golden Bears since 1872 after a blue silk banner with a golden grizzly bear (modeled after the state flag) was commissioned for a successful athletic team. A professor wrote the song "the golden bear" and the name stuck. Competing in the PAC-10, Cal has had much success in basketball and football. Notable alums include Olympian Steve Biondi, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jackie Jensen, Kevin Johnson, Jason Kid, Lamond Murray, Hardy Nickerson, and agent Leigh Steinberg.

Answer: Quakers

Penn is recognized as the nation's first university, developed from a concept proposed by Ben Franklin. Named for their founding fathers, the Quakers compete in the Ivy League.

Answer: Scarlet Knights

In 1869, Rutgers competed in the first college football game against Princeton. Originally the Queensmen and the Chanticleers, Rutgers adopted the Scarlet Knights in the mid 1950's after a campus-wide survey. Competing in the Big East, Rutgurs has some notable alums: Eric Young, Alexi Lalas and Jeff Torborg.

Answer: Colonials

Located in Washington DC and competing in the Atlantic-10, the Colonials were named for their East Coast political heritage. Notable alums: Red Auerbach, John Flaherty and Yinka Dare (remember him?). They became the Revolutionaries in 2023.

Answer: Red Storm

Located in New York and competing in the Big East, St. John's has been the Red Storm since 1994--derrived from the uniform colors. St. John's has a strong tradition in men's basketball. Notable alum: Chris Mullin.

Answer: Pirates

Located in New Jersey, and competing in the Big East, Seton Hall has had success in both baseball and basketball. Earned national attention when they upset Patrick Ewing's Georgetown team in the NCAA tournament. Some notable alums: Craig Biggio, John Valentine, Mo Vaughn, Terry Dehere, Bob Davies and Matt Morris.