List of college sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples

Further information: Native American mascot controversy

Main article: List of sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples

The use of terms and images referring to Native Americans/First Nations as the name or mascot for a sports team is a topic of public controversy in the United States and in Canada. The documents most often cited to justify the trend for change are an advisory opinion by the United States Commission on Civil Rights in 2001^[1] and a resolution by the American Psychological Association in 2005.^[2] Both support the views of Native American organizations and individuals that such mascots maintain harmful stereotypes that are discriminatory and cause harm by distorting the past and preventing understanding of Native American/First Nations peoples in the present. Such practices are seen as particularly harmful in schools and universities, which have the stated purpose of promoting ethnic diversity and inclusion.^[1] This view lead to the NCAA adopting a policy to eliminate "hostile and abusive" names and mascots. However some changes began in the 1970s in response to the Native American civil rights movement, led by the National Congress of American Indians.^[3]

1930 Football ticket stub depicting the former Stanford Indian mascot

Defenders of the current usage often state their intention to honor Native Americans by referring to positive traits, such as fighting spirit and being aggressive, brave, stoic, dedicated, and proud; while opponents see these traits as being based upon stereotypes of Native Americans as savages.^[4] Supporters also claim that the issue is not important, being only about sports, and that the opposition is nothing more than "political correctness", which change advocates argue ignores the extensive evidence of harmful effects of stereotypes and bias.^[5]

Canada

The Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Saskatchewan passed a resolution calling for the retirement of all school mascots and logos that depict First Nations people.^[6]

There was debate at McGill University in the 2010s over the use of the name "Redmen" for men's varsity sports teams, which alumni say originated as a reference to the school colors and the Celtic heritage of its founder before late becoming associated with First Nation's names and imagery which were removed from use in the 1990s. (The women's teams, though by the 2010s long since re-dubbed "Marlets", had previously been known as the "Squaws".)^[7] Others, including indigenous students and Washington State University professor C. Richard King, argue that the name itself is generally used as a disparaging term for indigenous peoples, reinforcing stereotypes and white settler culture.^[8] McGill principal and vice chancellor Suzanne Fortier announced that the university would refer to its men's teams as "the McGill teams" during the 2019–20 academic year while deciding on a new name.^[9] Since 2020–21, McGill men's teams have been known as the "Redbirds", while women's sports programs continue to use the name "Martlets", which was not the subject of controversy.^[10]

Seneca College in Toronto, Ontario changed from the Braves to "The Sting" in 2000.

United States

NCAA policy

Main article: NCAA Native American mascot decision

In 2005 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) distributed a "self evaluation" to 31 colleges for teams to examine the use of potentially offensive imagery with their mascot choice.^[11] Subsequently, 19 teams were cited as having potentially "hostile or abusive" names, mascots, or images, that would be banned from displaying them during post-season play, and prohibited from hosting tournaments.^[12]

Schools that removed all references to Native American culture or were deemed not to have references to Native American culture as part of their athletics programs:

• Alcorn State University – Lorman, Mississippi (Braves) - Logo is a large A, mascot is the "Bravehawk".
• Lycoming College (Warriors)
• Eastern Connecticut State University (Warriors)
• East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (Warriors)
• Merrimack College (Warriors)
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Braves) – originally created to educate American Indians, and since its creation has had close ties to the local Lumbee tribe
• University of Hawaii at Manoa – (Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine) From 2000 through 2013, each team was allowed to select its own nickname; most notably, the football team was simply known as "The Warriors". In 2013, the school adopted the identity of "Rainbow Warriors" for all men's teams, while women's teams remain "Rainbow Wahine".
• Wisconsin Lutheran College (Warriors)

Schools granted waivers to retain their nicknames after gaining support from those respective tribes:

• Catawba College - Salisbury, North Carolina (Catawba Indians)^[13]
• Central Michigan University – Mount Pleasant, Michigan (Chippewas)^[14]
• Florida State University – Tallahassee, Florida (Seminoles) - the mascot is Osceola and Renegade and FSU originated the Tomahawk chop performed by fans at games.^[15]
• Mississippi College – Clinton, Mississippi (Choctaws)^[16]
• University of Utah – Salt Lake City, Utah (Utes)^[17] Prior to 1972, the Utah teams had informally been known as the Redskins as well as the Utes.

The NCAA did not cite San Diego State University, San Diego, California as "hostile and abusive" due to the Aztec people having no modern representatives. A SDSU professor of American Indian Studies states that the mascot teaches the mistaken idea that Aztecs were a local tribe rather than living in Mexico 1,000 miles from San Diego.^[18] In April 2017, the university's Associated Students council rejected a resolution to retire the mascot introduced by the Native American Student Association.^[19] In May 2021, the San Diego State University Senate passed a resolution to replace the Aztec Warrior mascot image and to create an advisory council to choose a new mascot consistent with local Kumeyaay traditional narratives.^[20]

Other current usage (non-NCAA)

• Bacone College – Muskogee, Oklahoma (Warriors) was founded as a Cherokee Baptist Mission school and retains a connection to several tribes.^[21]
• Cochise College, Douglas, Arizona (Apaches) - Community College
• Lewis–Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho (Warriors) - Logo features Lewis and Clark, use of Warriors nickname deemed respectful by Tribal leaders.^[22]
• Ottawa University – Ottawa, Kansas (Braves)
• Tyler Junior College, Tyler, Texas (Apaches)

Prior usage

• Carlisle Indians, a school for American Indians that was a college football power in the early 1900s
• Chowan University – Murfreesboro, North Carolina (Braves)
• University of Oklahoma mascot: Little Red

Old Name	School	City, State	Year Changed	New Name	Notes
Apaches	Illinois Valley Community College	Oglesby, Illinois	2001	Eagle
Apaches	Southwestern College	Chula Vista, California	2001	Jaguars	Community College
Beothuk	Memorial University of Newfoundland	St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada	1987	Sea-Hawks	The Beothuk aboriginal peoples became extinct in 1829 and the university deemed the use of the Beothuk name to be offensive
Braves	Bradley University	Peoria, Illinois	2005		While the nickname has never changed, all Native American imagery has been removed. The logo is now a block B and the mascot is a gargoyle.
Braves	Chowan University	Murfreesboro, North Carolina	2006	Hawks
Braves	Husson College	Bangor, Maine	2004	Eagles	^[23]
Braves	University of West Georgia	Carrollton, Georgia	2006	Wolves
Braves	Quinnipiac University	Hamden, Connecticut	2002	Bobcats
Brown Indians/Squaws	St. Bonaventure University	Allegany (town), New York	1979	Bonnies
Chief Ouabache	Indiana State University	Terre Haute, Indiana	1989	N/A	The team name was always the Sycamores; Chief Ouabache and "Indian Princess" were the on-field mascots from 1969 to 1989.
Chiefs	Oklahoma City University	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1998	Stars
Chiefs	Springfield College	Springfield, Massachusetts	1995	Pride	Change was made voluntarily without protest on either side.^[24]
Chiefs	University of Massachusetts	Lowell, Massachusetts	1991	River Hawks	Change occurred with merger of University of Lowell into the UMass system
Chieftains	Seattle University	Seattle, Washington	2000	Redhawks	"H" is NOT capitalized here, unlike the case with Miami's nickname.
Chieftains	Stonehill College	Easton, Massachusetts	2005	Skyhawks	In late 2002, The Strategic Planning Committee of Stonehill College determined that the mascot was disrespectful to American Indians and decided that it would be changed. After discussion, the mascot was changed to the Skyhawk in 2005.^[25]
Fighting Sioux	University of North Dakota	Grand Forks, North Dakota	2012	Fighting Hawks	The "Fighting Sioux" nickname was retired in 2012, but the state passed a law prohibiting the university from adopting a new nickname until January 2015. In November of that year, following two rounds of fan voting, the current nickname of Fighting Hawks was chosen and immediately adopted. For more information, see North Dakota Fighting Sioux controversy.
Hurons	Eastern Michigan University	Ypsilanti, Michigan	1991	Eagles (The mascot is "Swoop")	The change remained controversial as some students and alumni sought to restore it. In 2012, the university president brought back the Hurons logo, which was placed inside a flap of the band uniforms, along with another historic logo, with the stated intent of recognizing the past. However, the return of the Hurons logo has prompted protests from Native Americans at the university and in the local community, who state that the old mascot promotes stereotypes and hostility.^[26]^[27]
Indians	Adams State University	Alamosa, Colorado	1990s	Grizzlies
Indians	Arkansas State University	Jonesboro, Arkansas	2008	Red Wolves
Indians	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse	La Crosse, Wisconsin	1989	Eagles
Indians	University of the Cumberlands	Williamsburg, Kentucky	2002	Patriots	Originally Cumberland College, name changed 2005
Indians	Dartmouth College	Hanover, New Hampshire	1970s	Big Green	Indians was not official, and the current "unofficial" mascot is Keggy the Keg.
Indians	Midwestern State University	Wichita Falls, Texas	2006	Mustangs
Indians	Martin Methodist College	Pulaski, Tennessee	2002	Redhawks^[28]
Indians	McMurry University	Abilene, Texas	2006	War Hawks
Indians	Minnesota State University, Mankato	Mankato, Minnesota	1977	Mavericks
Indians	University of Louisiana at Monroe	Monroe, Louisiana	2006	Warhawks	"Chief Brave Spirit" mascot also retired
Indians	Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Indiana County, Pennsylvania	2007	Crimson Hawks
Indians	Newberry College	South Carolina	2008	Wolves
Indians	Stanford University	Stanford, California	1972	Cardinal	Stanford had the "Indian" as its mascot from 1930 to 1972. In 1981 the "Cardinal" was selected to honor the university athletic team color. The symbol of the Stanford Band is the "Stanford Tree."^[29]
Indians	Siena College	Loudonville, New York	1988	Saints
Indians	College of William & Mary	Williamsburg, Virginia	1978	Tribe	Mascot is the Griffin
Indians	Yakima Valley Community College	Yakima, Washington	1998	Yaks^[28]
Indians and Otahkians	Southeast Missouri State University	Cape Girardeau, Missouri	2004	Redhawks
Indiens	Collège Ahuntsic	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	2019^[30]	Aigles (Eagles)
Maroon Chiefs	Morningside College	Sioux City, Iowa	1998	Mustangs ^[28]
Moccasins	University of Tennessee at Chattanooga	Chattanooga, Tennessee	1996	Mocs	"Scrappy the Mockingbird" in honor of coach Andy Moore.^[28] Prior mascot was Chief Moccanooga.
Mohawks	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	North Adams, Massachusetts	2002	Trailblazers
Old Siwash	Knox College	Galesburg, Illinois	1994	Prairie Fire	Mascot is the Fox
Plainsmen	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Lincoln, Nebraska	2000	Prairie Wolves
Red Raiders	Colgate University	Hamilton (village), New York	2001	Raiders
Red Raiders	Southern Oregon University	Ashland, Oregon	1980	Raiders/Red Tailed Hawk^[28]
Red Men/Lady Reds	Carthage College	Kenosha, Wisconsin	2005	Firebirds	In 2020, Carthage's board of trustees unanimously voted to retire the name Red Men/Lady Reds and the mascot "Torchie" from Carthage athletics and will compete as Carthage Athletics during the 2020–21 academic year. A new team name and mascot will be approved and announced prior to the 2021–22 academic year.^[31]
Redmen	University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass)	Amherst, Massachusetts	1972	Minutemen and Minutewomen	According to the University Redmen referred to the color of uniforms worn by the athletics teams
Redmen	Northeastern State University	Tahlequah, Oklahoma	2006	RiverHawks	Founded as the Cherokee National Female Seminary. T-shirts with the old "Redman" mascot continue to be sold.^[32]
Redmen	St. John's University	New York City	1995	Red Storm	Although the school's website indicated that the name did not originally refer to American Indians, but to the school color; some athletics logos used an Indian character as late as the 1980s. The university was pressured to change by American Indian groups who considered Redmen a slur.^[33]
Redmen and Lady Reds	Simpson College	Indianola, Iowa	1992	The Storm
Redmen and Redwomen	University of Rio Grande	Rio Grande, Ohio	2008	RedStorm
Redskins	Miami University	Oxford, Ohio	1997	RedHawks	The university began discussions regarding the propriety of the Redskins name and images in 1972, and changed its team nickname to the RedHawks in 1996.^[34]
Redskins	Southern Nazarene University	Bethany, Oklahoma	1998	Crimson Storm
Savages	Dickinson State University	Dickinson, North Dakota	1972	Blue Hawks
Savages	Eastern Washington University	Cheney, Washington	1973	Eagles
Savages	Southeastern Oklahoma State University	Durant, Oklahoma	2006	Savage Storm
Warrior	Syracuse University	Syracuse, New York	1978	Otto the Orange	The "Saltine Warrior" represented Syracuse from 1931 until 1978. After a brief attempt to use a Roman warrior mascot, Otto the Orange was introduced in 1980 and became official in 1990.
Warriors	Hartwick College	Oneonta, New York	1994	Hawks
Warriors	Marquette University	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1994	Golden Eagles	Marquette retired the mascot "Willie Wampum" in 1971,^[35] and changed their team name from the Warriors to the Golden Eagles in 1994. The school's president stated: "We live in a different era than when the Warriors nickname was selected in 1954. The perspective of time has shown us that our actions, intended or not, can offend others. We must not knowingly act in a way that others will believe, based on their experience, to be an attack on their dignity as fellow human beings."^[36]
Zias	Eastern New Mexico University	Portales, New Mexico	2015	Greyhounds	The women's teams are reverting to the name used prior to the 1970s, which is the same as the men's teams.^[37]

See also

• List of indigenous peoples
• List of contemporary ethnic groups

References

1. "Statement of the United States Commission on Civil Rights on the use of Native American images and nicknames as sports symbols". 2001. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
2. "Summary of the Resolution Recommending Retirement of American Indian Mascots". American Psychological Association. 2005.
3. Hylton, J Gordon (2010-01-01). "Before the Redskins Were the Redskins: The Use of Native American Team Names in the Formative Era of American Sports, 1857–1933". North Dakota Law Review. 86: 879.
4. Davis, Laurel R. "The problems with Native American mascots". Multicultural Education. 9 (4): 11–14. ISSN 1068-3844. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
5. Barbara E. Munson (2010). "2. Teaching Them Respect Not Racism: Common Themes and Questions About the Use of "Indian" Logos". In C. Richard King (ed.). The Native American Mascot Controversy: A Handbook. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6731-4.
6. "Staff at Saskatchewan university calls for end of First Nations logos, mascots". CTVNews.ca. November 16, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
7. J.M. Nelson (October 31, 2018). "Opinion: McGill's Redmen team name should remain". Montreal Gazette.
8. Christopher Curtis (November 7, 2018). "McGill Redmen: U.S. scholar says name reinforces white settler society". Montreal Gazette.
9. Tom Schad (April 12, 2019). "McGill University drops 'Redmen' name amid criticism". USA TODAY.
10. "The McGill Redbirds: new name for a new era to wear, and cheer for with pride". McGill University. 17 November 2020.
11. Brutlag Hosick, Michelle (March 14, 2005). "Mascot matter fits into proper-environment discussion". The NCAA News. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
12. Brand, Myles (October 24, 2005). "NCAA correctly positioned as a catalyst for social change". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
13. "NCAA says Catawba College can use Indians nickname". May 30, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
14. Doug Lederman (September 6, 2005). "Two More Universities Off NCAA's Mascot List". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
15. Wieberg, Steve (2005-08-12). "Fla. State gets backing". USA Today.
16. "NCAA: Mississippi College Can Keep Choctaws Nickname". Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Associated Press. February 23, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
17. "NCAA takes Utah off banned mascots list". ESPN. Associated Press. September 3, 2005. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
18. Gary Warth. "SDSU professor revives fight to change Aztec mascot". San Diego Union-Tribune.
19. Berteaux, Anthony (19 April 2017). "The San Diego State Aztecs mascot debate is over — for now". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
20. Tuccinardi, Brenden (2021-05-04). "University Senate resolution will create new SDSU mascot". The Daily Aztec. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
21. "About Bacone College".
22. Betsy Z. Russell (December 8, 2015). "Tribal leaders say school mascot issue comes down to respect". The Spokesman-Review.
23. "Husson completes mascot transformation to Eagles Nickname is fourth since college's founding in 1898".
24. Ron Chimelis (October 14, 2015). "'Redskins' controversy is about obstinacy".
25. "Why a Skyhawk?". Stonehill College. Retrieved October 20, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
26. Kozlowski, Kim (June 16, 2015). "Native Americans rally against Hurons logo at EMU". The Detroit News.
27. Jesse, David (June 16, 2015). "Community wants logo off EMU band uniforms". Detroit Free Press.
28. "Sport teams that retired Native American mascots, nicknames". Sporting News. October 12, 2015.
29. Luukas Ilves. . The Stanford Review. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
30. "Collège Ahuntsic ditches 'indiens' team name and logo". CBC News. October 17, 2019.
31. "Carthage Retires Red Men, Lady Reds as Its Athletic Team Names".
32. "Sales of 'old' mascot may rankle, but not stopped". Tahlequah Daily Press. September 9, 2016.
33. "Use of Indians As Mascots To Be Subject Of an Inquiry". The New York Times. July 9, 1998. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
34. "Mascot Story". Miami University. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
35. "Willie Wampum".
36. "Trustees announce new nickname selection process". Marquette University. May 11, 2005. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
37. Daniel Trujillo (April 24, 2015). "Eastern New Mexico University does away with Zia mascot". KRQE News.