College Basketball's Sweet 16 of Best Team Nicknames of the Past 50 Years

[NewsCopy]

  Every college has a nickname. Some are more suited for one school sport over the other. But inside the past 50 years there was a glorious era of nicknames within a nickname, a time when students and fans gave their team a specialized and personal description.

In analyzing the past six decades of the featured era, 1958–2008, it is obvious that such team nicknames are no longer popular, for one reason or the other.

Is it because the sport has taken a "me first" and concentrated on individual player's nicknames rather than to promote a team mentality?

We struggle with the line between "good old college boy rally cries" and what may be offensive to various groups of individuals in the 21st Century.

Of the sixteen team nicknames listed, eleven are from the 1970s and '80s. The '60s and '90s produced two each worthy of listing. The late '50s featured one, the 21st Century none.

So with apologies to all those inclined to be offended, we present the Sweet 16 Best Team Nicknames of 1958–2008.

The rest of the story

bleacherreport.com

[CajunProud]

Well, this should make everybody happy for another 10 to 15 years.

And now ......... back to the mediocrity.

[RCAJUN90]

_ _

"11) Bo Pete and the Ragin' Cajuns: 1971–'72 Southwestern Louisiana: Few outside the swamplands had ever heard of this school, much less the powerhouse roundball program they produced beginning in 1971."

Wow this makes me feel so much better.