Football. Football. Football. It’s here. It’s there. It’s everywhere!
One of the best entertainment at the games is the mascots. Oh - I guess some of the opposite gender would disagree with me there, and say the cheerleaders are the best entertainment.
Okay, the cheerleaders are cuter than the mascots, but this puzzle is about mascots. And maybe a little bit about team names. See how well you score.
1. Which Big Ten team’s nickname and mascot has caused the NCAA to ban the school from hosting NCAA-sanctioned tournaments? Minnesota; Indiana; Illinois; Ohio State.
2. Southern Mississippi’s teams use what colorful avian nickname? Black Ravens; Golden Eagles; Green Wave; Blue Orix.
3. Superman would enjoy which school, nicknamed the Golden Flashes? Akron; Kent State; Cal Poly SLO; Yale.
4. Which school’s athletic teams are known as the Banana Slugs? Williams College; UC-Santa Cruz; Amherst; Cal-Poly SLO.
5. St. John’s (NY) University was once known by what nickname? Red Bulls; Red Storm; Redmen; Redbirds.
6. Wooo, Pig, Sooie. By what name does the mascot of the University of Arkansas go by? Big Red; Randy; Sir Hog; Ricardo.
7. What is the name of the English bulldog used as the mascot for Mississippi State University? Buford; Bulldog; Bully; Bullet.
ANSWERS
1. Illinois. As offensive as some people find Gophers, Hoosiers, and Buckeyes, Illinois’ Chief Illinwek has been found in violation of the NCAA’s rule against offensive Native American nicknames. In 2007, the school was still in legal proceedings against the NCAA on the matter. 2. Golden Eagles. 3. Kent State’s alumni list includes the NFL’s Antonio Gates, who never played football at the school. 4. UC-Santa Cruz. 5. They changed their name in the late 1990s under pressure from the NCAA to make collegiate nicknames more politically correct. 6. Big Red. The team adopted the name “Razorbacks” in 1910 after previously being named the Cardinals. The mascot, Big Red, made his first appearance in 1960 as a live hog. A costumed version is used today. Arkansas’ Big Red is sometimes seen in the company of a female counterpart, Sue E., and a juvenile version, Pork Chop. They also use an inflatable version named Boss Hog and a live variety of razorback named Tusk. 7. Bully. After the demise of the original Bully, a funeral procession was held, complete with a glass coffin for viewing the deceased loved one. He was buried under the 50-yard line in the stadium. Since that time, MSU has carried on the tradition of naming an English bulldog its mascot.