Ever wanted to name a university's mascot? Now's your chance!
 

The University of North Dakota got rid of the Fighting Sioux in 2012, and since that time, they have been simply "The University of North Dakota." No mascot. Fighting Sioux was beloved by the community of Grand Forks largely because of the tradition associated with it in the university's college hockey program, which has been historically and recently one of the top college hockey programs in the NCAA.

The university has finally assembled a committee to look through suggestions and recommend a new mascot to the president of the university. They just need the suggestions. That's where you come in. Simply click the link and fill out the online form: http://und.edu/nickname/

Here are the basic guidelines to consider (from the UND announcement):



Since I'm originally from Grand Forks, I have connections to people who are abuzz with this process. I can tell you that there are already some favorites being championed:

--Flickertails. This was the university's mascot prior to becoming the Fighting Sioux in the 1930s. Given the university's recent goals of expanding into a tier-one research university, it makes a lot of sense to go with rodentia like their counterparts in the Big 10 (gophers, badgers). North Dakota is also known as the Flickertail State.

--Roughriders. The safest bet. Nothing says North Dakota pride like references to Teddy Roosevelt. Would also still manage to piss off a few people, since Teddy Roosevelt probably killed a few Indians when he was out in the North Dakota Badlands. It largely boils down to whether or not the university is cool with proudly stating to people, "Yeah, you might think of condoms when you hear our name, but we're still going to beat you in hockey!"

--Pilots. UND's aviation research and development program is unanimously known as the best in the country. It's odd to pick a mascot based on the strength of an academic program, but eh... weirder things have happened.

--Green Meadowlarks. This one combines creativity with tradition and old-sounding college mascot nomenclature, but it's also kind of weird. The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of North Dakota, and green and white are the school's primary colors. A problem with this is that I believe the Western Meadowlark is also the state bird of like 20 other states. It's still better than Banana Slugs.

--Keep using no mascot. The most likely option, I think. It's the last method that UND fans have to tell the NCAA to go **** itself for making the university ditch Fighting Sioux. There's a rule in place that they can't have a racial mascot, but there is no rule that says the school has to have a mascot, just a nice little memo that says, "It would be really nice if your school had a mascot so we could maintain the entire aesthetic of the neighborhood. Smiley face." It would also make the university stand out and be truly unique.

But that doesn't mean you can't play a role in creating collegiate athletic history! So get in there!

The Fighting Irish

Roughriders should be it.

Never knew you were from Grand Forks. That's where I was born.

This

Wow. Holy shit. Were you an air base kid?

That I was.

I think Wichita State should have to change their name, too. Shockers? Every time I see that name I feel like finger banging a drunk college chick and then ramming my pinky up her meemaw hole!

How is this a bad thing?

cuz every time i watch the shockers i can't stand up without having a boner

it's EMBARRASSING

I got a buddy from Grafton

All of those are bad.
If this university has an ounce of sense, they pick an animal that can be made into as many novelty items as possible.
Something quirky but cool, that people will want to wear on t-shirts and hats.

North Dakota is pretty much known as "the Dakota without Mt Rushmore", but aren't there any cool animals there, even if extinct?

My mom came up with this one:

Prairie Panthers.

It's alliterative and kind of catchy. It sounds kind of old and traditional (good), and while the choice of a panther isn't that original, it at least separates itself from Northern Iowa's panthers. I'm also pretty sure a Prairie Panther (whatever that is... a mountain lion presumably) would be a predator to bison, the mascot of North Dakota State. It's also a lot more fierce than a meadowlark or a flickertail.

Something like 40% of the wooly mammoth skeletons in natural history museums across the world were excavated in western North Dakota. Does that count?

Seriously though, how is Fighting Sioux against the rules and Fighting Irish isn't?

because we didn't force the Irish onto reservations and pillage their women, damnit!