"Go Nads!" and Other Wonderfully Weird College Mascots

Most people have heard of the Toledo Mud Hens or the Carolina Mudcats. Have you ever heard of the Grays Harbor College Chokers? Probably not, unless you had the honor of attending Grays Harbor College. Even so, would you admit it? Colleges have had the ability to create unusual school nicknames and even more unusual mascot representations of those names. Some schools pull their names from state history, such as the Tennessee Volunteers, after the reputation of Tennesseans borne from volunteerism to fight during the Battle of 1812. Others choose for non-historical reasons. The Stanford Cardinal, refers to the primary school color, chosen way back in 1892. Their mascot is a tree, specifically a redwood variety called El Palo Alto. Go figure. Let's look at a few of these interesting college mascots.

University of California-Santa Cruz Banana Slugs
Banana slugs are plentiful in Santa Cruz, which lies on California's northern coast. The selection of the Banana Slug as mascot was political in nature. Students were upset at the amount of emphasis placed on athletic programs in universities. Attempts to change to mascot to something else have all failed. Go Slugs!

Delta State University Fighting Okra
"I told you to eat your vegetables. Now you'll just have to fight them." They used to be called The Statesmen, but students opted for the more vicious sounding "okra" as their mascot of choice. Okra is delicious when it is breaded and fried. Some folks like them pickled. Delta State University chooses to have their okra fighting. At least the uniforms are green.

Saint Louis University Billiken
Have you seen this thing? It looks like a cross between a Keebler Elf, Buddha, and an alien. This made up mascot was picked because its likeness resembled that of one of the coaches. Billiken is a representation of good luck. To other folks, it is akin to the naked troll doll and worry stones. Either way, I don't want one in my house.

Evergreen State College Geoducks
Say it with me, "gooey-duck". It's not even a duck. A geoduck is a mollusk, and apparently it flourishes in the Pacific Northwest, home to Evergreen State College in Washington. I guess it's nice to have mascots based on your geographic area. Dance with the one who brought 'ya, right?

North Carolina School of the Arts Fighting Pickle
The school isn't even sure where this mascot came from. Some records indicate it was named for a pickle company that used to donate to the school. Others say the Pickle was chosen as a way to protest violent mascot suggestions. The question remains, what kind of pickle is it, and is it Kosher?

That's just five. Here are some others you might not have heard of before now:

• Arkansas Tech Wonderboys
• Brooklyn College Bridges
• Chesapeake Skipjacks
• College of the Atlantic Black Flies
• Condordia Cobbers
• Grays Harbor College Chokers
• Hofstra Flying Dutchmen
• Jamestown Jimmies
• Ogelthorpe Stormy Petrels
• Presbyterian Blue Hose
• Rhode Island School of Design Nads
• Tufts Jumbos
• Tulane Green Wave
• Webster University Gorlok
• Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Maybe you've heard of better mascots than that. When my high school looked to change its name, I wanted to be Fightin' Chitlins (Chitterlings was too hard to cheer). For some reason, the name didn't take off.