List of college sports team nicknames in North America

The following is a sports team nicknames for colleges (universities in non-U.S. English) in North America, primarily in the United States and Canada.

These are the general, collective nicknames that various colleges and universities' athletic teams compete under, grouped by a general theme before dividing into specific nicknames. For specific names of live or costumed mascots, see List of U.S. college mascots.

Animals

Aardvarks

Amphibians/Reptiles (Larger Category)

Antelopes

Armadillos

Badgers

Bearcats

Bears (Larger Category)

Bees (Larger Category)

Big Cats (Larger Category excluding Cougars, Lions, Panthers, Tigers & Wildcats)

Birds (Larger Category, excluding Eagles, Hawks & Falcons)

Bison

Black Flies

Boll Weevils

Buffaloes

Bulldogs (standalone category – large quantity)

Cows (Larger Category)

Camels

Cats (Larger Category, excluding Big Cats)

Cougars (Standalone Category – Large Quantity)

Coyotes

Deer

Dogs (Larger Category excluding Bulldogs)

Eagles (Standalone Category – large quantity)

Falcons (Standalone Category - Large Quantity)

Foxes

Hawks (Standalone Category – larger quantity)

Horses/Mules (Larger Category)

Lions (standalone category – large quantity)

Marine Animals (Larger Category)

Marsupials (Larger Category)

Moose

Otters

Panthers (Standalone Category – Large Quantity)

Prehistoric Animals (Larger Category)

Rams

Rodents (larger category)

Scorpions

Snakes (Larger Category)

Tigers (Standalone Category - Large Quantity)

Wildcats (Standalone Category - Large Quantity)

Wild Pigs

Wolverines

Wolves (Larger Category)

Colors

Blue (Larger Category)

Gold (Larger Category)

Green (Larger Category)

Purple (Larger Category)

Red (Larger Category)

Legendary, Religious and Supernatural Figures

Ancient Greece (Larger Category)

Christian Symbols/Figures (Larger Category)

Demons and Devils

Dragons

Giants

Griffins

Phantoms

Phoenix

Spirits

Thunderbirds

Miscellaneous

Beacons

Blazers

Lasers

Nickname based upon college name

Nickname based upon college tradition/figure

Sabers/Sabres

Vehicles (Larger Category)

Nature/Outer Space

Comets

Electricity (Larger Category)

Flames

Hurricanes

Mounties

Note: "Mounties" can refer to either the geographic feature or, in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Mount Allison's nickname may possibly come from either source; U.S. schools would use the geographic feature.

Plants (Larger Category)

Stars

Storm

Suns

Thunder

Tornadoes

Wave/Waves

People

Academic Occupations (Larger Category)

Agricultural Occupations (Larger Category)

Belles

Cowboys (Larger Category)

Engineers

Exploration (Larger Category)

Foresters

Hilltoppers

Knights (Standalone Category - Large Quantity)

Marauders

Maritime (Larger Category)

Matadors

Military (Larger Category)

Miners (Larger Category)

Mountaineers

Mystics

Nickname based upon Indigenous North Americans

Nickname based on cultures/peoples (not Indigenous American) (excluding Vikings)

Pacers

Pilots (Larger Category)

Pioneers

Pipers

Political Movements (Larger Category)

Political/Royal Occupations (Larger Category)

Raiders

Rangers

Tartans

Trailblazers

Trades (Larger Category)

Vikings (Standalone Category - Large Quantity)

Warriors

See also

Footnotes
  1. San Francisco State's nickname is not derived from the alligator, but rather the Golden Gate Bridge. The current nickname evolved from an earlier nickname of "Golden Gaters".
  2. A mythological figure in Inuit religion, represented by a polar bear.
  3. The school's formal name is University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but it brands its athletic program solely as Chattanooga. The nickname of "Mocs" is a contraction of the former nickname of "Moccasins". While the city is located in the Tennessee River's Moccasin Bend, the school's athletic branding had long alluded to Native American stereotypes. The current nickname and athletic imagery strongly emphasize the northern mockingbird, the official state bird of Tennessee.
  4. The school's formal name is The University of Texas at Austin, but it brands its athletic program as simply Texas.
  5. While the university's formal name is University of Nebraska Omaha, it brands its athletic program solely as Omaha.
  6. Defunct nickname; replaced by Mariners.
  7. Evolved from a former nickname of Thoroughbreds; the baseball team was the last to abandon that nickname, doing so in 2014.
  8. While this school's nickname is "Lions", its athletic imagery depicts a cougar, also known as "mountain lion".
  9. Institution defunct; merged into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
  10. Formally the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, academically branded as "UA Little Rock", but athletically known as Little Rock.
  11. The former women's nickname of "Women of Troy" is still officially acceptable, but has mostly been superseded by Trojans.
  12. This school uses the St. Bernard dog in its athletic branding.
  13. School closing in July 2022 and merging into Saint Joseph's University.
  14. Formally the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, but athletically branded as simply "Green Bay".
  15. Not derived from the title of nobility, but instead from the university's second president, Samuel Page Duke.
  16. Nickname specifically honors 19th-century transportation mogul "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who supplied the university's initial endowment.
  17. Usually refers to the geographic feature, but can also refer to a lake freighter, a ship designed and built for the Great Lakes trade, and by extension to an individual who serves on such a ship.
  18. This school's mascot is a caricatured maritime captain.
  19. This school's athletic logo consists primarily of an anchor.
  20. Formally the University of Virginia's College at Wise, but branded both academically and athletically as UVA Wise.
  21. Sports teams also branded as "The Mount".
  22. Tribal college or university.
  23. Originally founded to educate Native Americans, with longstanding historic ties to the local Lumbee people.
  24. Formally the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but now uses solely "Louisiana" in its athletic branding.
  25. Not a culturally based nickname, but rather on the school's location on Ward Island, a peninsula between Corpus Christi Bay and Oso Bay that is locally treated as an island.
  26. Although the school's formal name is Indiana University Bloomington, it is branded in both academics and athletics simply as Indiana.
  27. Although the school's formal name is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, it is branded in both academics and athletics simply as North Carolina.
  28. Here, the nickname of "Pilots" refers to the maritime profession.
  29. Athletic program defunct; merged with that of its sister campus in Brooklyn in 2019, creating the current LIU Sharks.
  30. Franciscan's nickname specifically references its city's namesake, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.
  31. The university's formal name is University of Wisconsin–Parkside, but it has branded its athletic program as "Parkside" since 2018.
  32. Dixie State will change its name to Utah Tech University on July 1, 2022. The nickname of Trailblazers is not affected.
  33. The nickname is one of the most famous nicknames of the university's namesake, Abraham Lincoln.

References
  1. "Mississippi State Traditions".
  2. "Akron". www.gozips.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07.
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