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Fun Fan Facts:
Chief Illini-what?
Illini-WEK. That's the name of Illinois mascot, who has been performing his native dance for the Illinois faithful since 1926. Illiniwek, which means "they are men", was the name of the loose confederation of Algonquin tribes that once occupied parts of the Midwest. The French, however, replaced the "wek" with an "ois" and, thus, the States name. Assistant band director Ray Dvorak came up with the idea of Illinois mascot and student Lester Leutwiler, who made his own costume, became the very first Chief Illiniwek. Webber Borchers succeeded Leutwiler and came up with the idea of having an Indian tribe customize Illiniweks attire. The authentic suit and headdress debuted during a Nov. 8, 1930 game against Army in Yankee Stadium and, since then, five different outfits have been used.
What's a Hoosier?
No one really knows for sure and that may be, in fact, the reason for the nicknames beauty and popularity. There is not one true definition, but rather several origins each, of which, holds its own special meaning to all who use the term. Some say that "Hoosier" is a word that can only be understood by those born and raised in Indiana, while others like to refer to the terms negative connotation of "hick", "backwoods", and "uncouth". Although some Indiana natives embrace the derogatory titles associated with the term, most consider the Hoosier name as a source of pride, which exudes a positive, good-natured, "down home" set of values. Whatever the case, those outside the Hoosier State continue to wonder and speculate about the meaning of the term, while the Indiana natives and Indiana University student body sit back and enjoy the rest of us who spend our time attempting to do so.
How is Iowa's nickname connected to a famous piece of literature?
The name "Hawkeye" was taken from the name of a character in the novel "The Last of the Mohicans". The book, which was written by James Fenimore Cooper, told about an Indian tribe, which gave the nickname to a white scout who lived with them. Twelve years after the book was published, James Edwards, who was the editor of the FortMadison (IA.) Patriot, moved his paper to Burlington and renamed it the Burlington Hawk-Eye. Edwards and his associate, Judge David Rorer, made every effort to popularize the name and, eventually, the officials of the IowaTerritory formalized the nickname. Over a century later, in 1948, a cartoon character was created by IowaUniversity journalism instructor Richard Spencer III and the Iowa mascot was born. In a statewide contest to name the character, alumnus John Franklin suggested the winning entry of "Herky the Hawk", who made its physical debut at a football game in the mid-1950s.
How did Michigan's famous winged helmet come to life?
It began in 1938 when legendary head football coach Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler came over from Princeton. When Crisler took over the head coaching duties at Michigan, the team was suffering a lack of positive morale. Crisler broke out the new helmet design and uniform just prior to the season opener against arch-rival Michigan State (a 14-0 victory), and claimed that, not only did he want to help his QBs recognize the receivers downfield, but he also sought to simply "dress it up a bit", referring to the new helmet design. However, Crisler had, in fact, introduced the winged helmet the year before while he was at Princeton, but the design did not catch on. The new look was actually taken from a helmet advertised, in 1937, by the Spalding Sporting Goods Company. Spalding had marketed a number of helmets with the winged design and Michigan adopted the FH5 model, which featured the now-famous three stripes running from the front to the back of the headgear. The Spalding model came only in black and tan, but it was Crislers idea to paint the helmet in maize and blue. The rest is history.
In East Lansing (MI), when does a nickname become too lengthy?
When it upsets newspaper columnists, thats when. Allow me to explain. In 1925, Michigan Agricultural College became known as Michigan State College. With the new name, the school wanted a fresh nickname to replace the "Aggies" moniker. "The Michigan Staters" was selected as the new name, but George S. Alderton, who was the sports editor of the Lansing Journal, thought the name was too lengthy and took it upon him to shorten the nickname. Alderton contacted the college to see if the other suggestions were kept on file. When he found out that they were, he poured through the entries and found "Spartans" to his liking. Ironically, Alderton forgot to note the individuals name that submitted the entry, so the "winner" of the contest will always remain a mystery. As a side note, Alderton misspelled Spartan (Sparton) the first two days he used the name in the headlines. It wasnt until a friend of his told Alderton of the correct spelling did he make the necessary adjustment.
Does Minnesota compete for some sort of trophy with each conference game it plays?
It sure seems that way, doesnt it? Call me a college football geek, but "trophy games" are cool. Theres nothing that captures the spirit of college football more than when the winning team (after a "trophy game" victory) rushes over to the sideline, hoists the trophy, and parades around the field. Its kind of like seeing a Stanley Cup Trophy celebration every autumn weekend. The Golden Gophers are all about "trophy games". They can compete in up to four of them each year, depending on the conference scheduling rotation. Can you name them? "The Little Brown Jug" (since 1905) is the trophy given to the winner of the Michigan-Minnesota game. The "Floyd of Rosedale" trophy (Floyd is a bronzed pig, by the way) goes to the victor of the match-up with Iowa (since 1935). "Paul Bunyans Axe" (since 1948) is awarded to either Wisconsin or the Gophers, and the "Governors Victory Bell" doesnt have the rich history of the other three (it began in 1993), but is the trophy that rewards the Penn State-Minnesota survivor. Minnesota, incidentally, only holds the edge, over the years, in the "Floyd of Rosedale" trophy (by a 38-29 margin), but these classic "trophy games" define the rich history of Golden Gopher football.
Which Northwestern rivalry games provided the inspiration for the schools nickname?
The games against the Chicago Maroons and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in 1924. Ironically, Northwestern lost both those games, but it was the schools effort in those two contests, which earned it the Wildcat nickname. Journalist Wallace Abbey, of the Chicago Tribune, was responsible for the nickname following Northwesterns gritty performance in its last-minute 3-0 road loss to Chicago. Wrote Abbey, "(The Northwestern) football players had not come down from Evanston; Wildcats would be a name better suited (for these players). Staggs boys (legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg) his pride, his 11 that had tied Illinois a week ago, were unable to score for 57 minutes. Once they had the ball on the nine yard-line and had been stopped dead by a purple wall of wildcats." It was those words, from that day forward, that provided the nickname for all Northwestern athletic teams. A week later, the "new" Wildcats fought Notre Dame and the "Four Horsemen" to the bitter end before falling 13-6. As a result of those two courageous final game battles, which closed out the 1924 season, the Northwestern team truly earned the Wildcat moniker and laid the foundation for a team that would capture the Big Ten title two years later.
What is a Buckeye?
A small, shiny, dark brown nut with a circular tan patch that falls from the Buckeye tree, which is the official tree of the State of Ohio. The term "Buckeye" was a name given by the Indians to Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, who was a 64" man with an enormous frame. Sproat led the legal delegation at the first court session of the Northwest Territory, back in 1788, and was greeted in court by the Indians with shouts of "Hetuck, Hetuck", which is the Indian name for Buckeye. Sproat (and his tree-like statue) maintained this nickname from thereafter and, by 1830, "Buckeyes" was a term commonly used to refer to Ohioans. As a side note, the buckeye nut is said to be good luck because it resembles the eye of a deer.
Who gets to dot the "i"?
The sousaphone player. What were referring to, here, is "Script Ohio", the signature formation of the Ohio State University Marching Band, which is performed, on occasion, during Buckeye home games. The band (better known as "The Best Damn Band in the Land") spells out the word "Ohio" and, by the direction of the drum major, the sousaphone player high-steps his/her way to the top of the "i" and proceeds to take off his/her hat and then bows to the crowd. As the individual bows, the sousaphone is simultaneously tipped towards the ground and the "i" is, thereby, dotted in a symbolic manner.
Is the Nittany Lion breed part of the cat family?
Not really. This type of lion is named after the mount and valley where PennStateUniversity is located. The Nittany Lion is a breed of mountain lion, which used to occupy central Pennsylvania. The nickname was given to the school by H.D. "Joe" Mason (Class of 1907), who came up with the mascot after seeing the Princeton Tiger mascot on a trip with the baseball team to the Princeton campus. Folklore has it that the Great Spirit formed a mountain to recognize a beautiful princess who lived near the mouth of Penn Creek. The princess name was Nittany and the mount was named in her honor. The Class of 1940 later gave the school the Nittany Lion Shrine, which sits in a natural setting among the trees near the schools recreation building on the PennState campus.
What's a Boilermaker Special?
Its Purdues old-time locomotive, which is said to be the worlds largest mascot, which weighs 10,800 pounds and stretches over 24 feet in length. The current model, Boilermaker Special V, was built by Wabash National Corp (in Lafayette, Indiana) and made its debut on Sept. 25, 1993 against Notre Dame. The first model was created in 1939 and operated until 1953 before being replaced by Boilermaker Special II. Two additional models, III and IV, filled the gap that gives us the present day mascot. The university also boasts a smaller version, named Boilermaker X-tra Special, which was first created in 1979 and has since been the vehicle that leads the football team onto the Ross-Ade Stadium turf before each home game.
"Where's the love" for Henrietta Holstein?
Apparently it was devoured by Bucky the Badger. Henrietta almost replaced Bucky when, in 1973, assistant attorney general Howard Koop recommended that a cow should replace the badger as the school mascot because of its loveable appeal to the younger fans. (Short editorial: If I had lived anywhere near Madison in 1973, I would have hunted down Koop and beat him senseless.) Koops effort, thankfully, failed and the legend of Bucky the Badger survived. The Badger mascot started out as a cartoon depiction, in 1940, by artist Art Evans. Soon thereafter, the mascot came to life in the form of a live badger but the creature was too violent and untamed. So, in the interest of fan and player safety, the animal was placed in the Madison Zoo. By 1949, the school decided to call upon the art department to design a paper-mache badger head, which could house a student within the costume. Student Connie Conrad created the costume head and gymnast/cheerleader Bill Sagal was the first to portray the mascot. The mascot was eventually named Buckingham U. Badger ("Bucky", for short) and gets its title from the schools fight song which contains the lyrics: "Buck right through that line".
