Marc's Distinctive High School Mascot Collection: T-Z



Last Updated: September 2, 2007


Welcome to Part 5 of my collection of distinctive and unusual mascots of United States high school teams. This section includes schools starting with the letter T through Z. New and updated information is denoted by animated images.




Tabernacle Christian Torches (Gardendale, AL) -- The school yearbook is titled "The Flame."

Taholah Chitwhins (WA) -- The tribal school is located on the Quinault Reservation on the Olympic Peninsula. "Chitwhin" is the Quinault word for "bear".

Tarpon Springs Spongers (FL) -- The school is in an area where harvesting sponges from the ocean was an important industry.

Taylorsville Tartars (MS) -- "Tartars" were the Mongolian and Turkish tribes who invaded western Asia and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.

Teaneck Highwaymen (NJ) -- An old name for robbers who held up travellers on the highways of Europe. This name is also used for the girls' teams.

Tell City Marksmen (IN) -- This name is also used for the girls' teams. Tell City Junior High goes by the name "Archers." The legend of William Tell must have something to do with these names.

Teutopolis Wooden Shoes (IL) -- Chosen in 1932 by Coach John Harold Griffin, who wanted a unique name for the school. The name recognizes the town's German heritage and an old pioneer, George Deyman, who carved wooden shoes in Teutopolis.

Thief River Falls Prowlers (MN) -- I'll bet this is related to the name of the town.

Thomas Edison Inventors (Jamaica, NY) -- The teams are called "Inventors" for the school's namesake, the famed inventor Thomas Edison.

Thurgood Marshall Harlem Hellfighters (NY) -- This name comes from the 369th Infantry Regiment, an all-black unit which was one of the first U.S. regiments to arrive in France in World War I.

Tillamook Cheesemakers (OR) -- The town is known in the Northwest for its connection to the dairy industry.

Tiospa Zina Tribal Wambdi (Agency Valley, SD) -- I believe this means "eagle" in the Dakota language.

Toledo Boomers (OR) -- A mountain beaver, or boomer, is a small burrowing rodent that lives in holes in coniferous forests. It lacks a tail and is thought to be one of the most primitive rodents in existence.

Tonopah Fighting Muckers (NV) -- The high school mascot is a grizzled miner who is pictured in cartoon form as he mucks: cleaning out mine tailings in a mine.

Tower Hill Hillers (Wilmington, DE) -- The school also uses a tiger as an athletic symbol, but the teams are called "Hillers."

Trenton Catholic Academy Iron Mikes (Hamilton, NJ) -- This school was formerly McCorristin HS, named for Monsignor Michael P. McCorristin, who backed the creation of a Catholic school in the area.

Troy Flying Horses (NY) -- Also called "Horses."

Tustin Tillers (CA) -- Symbolized by a farmer. Tustin is known as the "City of Trees," first for its sycamore groves, and later for its orange orchards.

Two Harbors Agates (MN) -- The area is known for its many agates and other rocks that can be found on the shorelines of Agate Bay and Lake Superior.

Urbana Hillclimbers (OH) -- The school is located atop a knoll. It is often known as "The Castle on the Hill" because of the turreted lines of the central building.

Unioto Sherman Tanks (Chillicothe, OH) -- The school campus is located on the site of the World War I US Army Camp Sherman. Fort Knox later donated an old Sherman tank, known for its role in World War II, to the school. The tank is still on campus today. The girls' teams have been dubbed "Lady Shermans," and the school newsletter is titled "Tank Talk."

University Junior Rainbows (Honolulu, HI) -- The University of Hawaii calls its teams "Rainbows."

University Preppers (Hunting Valley, OH) -- This choice is likely based on the fact that University is a college preparatory school.

Vail Mountain Gore Rangers (Vail, CO) -- This is for the nearby mountain range.

Valley City Hi-Liners (ND) -- Named for the Hi-Line Bridge, one of the longest and highest single-track railroad bridges in the United States.

Van Buren Vee Bees (Queens Village, NY) -- This is most likely derived from the school's initials.

Vancouver Christian Light (WA) -- This name was chosen in part of its religious connotations ("Light to the World," "The Light of Christ," "Christ our Light," etc.). The school used to use a lighthouse as a symbol, but they've since shifted to lightning bolts to represent the mascot.

Venice Gondoliers (Los Angeles, CA) -- Likely named for the pilots of gondolas, used to travel through the famed canals of Venice, Italy. Sometimes shortened to "Gondos."

Vermillion Tanagers (SD) -- Named for the small American songbirds whose males have brightly colored feathers.

Villa Maria Academy Victors (Erie, PA) -- Used since the athletic program's inception in 1972.

Vineland Fighting Clan (NJ) -- This comes from "Poultry Clan," as in a group of chickens. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Vineland's major industry was poultry farming. The city was known as "The Egg Basket of America." The citizens constructed the world's largest frying pan and fried the world's largest omelet. The school athletic logo is a mean-looking and burly chicken.

Vintage Crushers (Napa, CA) -- The school is located in the Napa Valley, famous for its wine country. The nickname and school logo refers to the crushing of grapes in winemaking, and the school colors are Burgundy and Chablis.

Visitation Academy Vivettes (St. Louis, MO) -- This all-girls school likely used the academy's name for its athletic mascot. The school's name is sometimes shortened to "Viz."

Wabeno Logrollers (WI) -- Represented by a lumberjack.

Waimea Menehunes (HI) -- Named for the legendary "little people," Hawaii's version of the leprechaun. Menehunes are said to stand about two feet tall and possess ever-changing spirits. The first Polynesians to visit Hawaii credited the Menehunes with building the dams, fish ponds, and temples they found there.

Wallenpaupack Area Buckhorns (Hawley, PA) -- A "buckhorn" is a type of deer.

Warren County Screaming Devils (Warrenton, GA) -- This name came from the consolidation of the old white-only Warrenton "Blue Devils" and the old black-only high school, which used "Screaming Eagles" as their mascot. When the two schools consolidated into Warren County High, the mascots were combined into the current "Screaming Devils."

Warrensburg Burgers (NY) -- It seems that in the 1920s, Warrensburg HS and bitter rival Lake George HS had the same nickname, "Warriors." The teams decided that only one school, the winner of an upcoming football game, would be able to keep the name. Warrensburg lost, and had to change their team name to "Burghermisters," which translates to "Town Kings." The name was shortened later to embrace the "Burger" moniker.

Washburn Castle Guards (WI) -- Sometimes shortened to "Guards." Symbolized by a knight in armor.

Washington Bookers (Norfolk, VA) -- Honor school namesake Booker T. Washington. This nickname dates to the 1920s and 1930s.

Washington Little Prexies (PA) -- "Prexies" is a nickname for the word "Presidents." Washington and Jefferson College, located in the town of Washington, uses the name "Presidents" for its athletic teams.

Washington Pam Pack (NC) -- The "Pam" in this name may come from the city's location -- the banks of the Pamlico River. Sometimes the nickname is just shortened to the "Pack."

Waterford-Halfmoon Fordians (NY) -- I'm going to guess that this is derived from the school's name.

Watersmeet Nimrods (MI) -- This school began using "Nimrod" as its mascot in 1904. According to the Old Testament, Nimrod was "a mighty hunter before the Lord." Watersmeet, situated in the heart of the Upper Peninsula's Ottawa National Forest, adopted the name because the forest is prime hunting land.

Watertown Goslings (WI) -- A term for a baby goose. Watertown was famed for its goose stuffing (pate de foie gras) industry for many years.

Waterville Shockers (WA) -- Their emblem is a sheaf (or shock) of wheat crossed by a lightning bolt. Waterville is a wheat farming community and is close to more than one of the hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River.

Waukesha South Blackshirts (Waukesha, WI) -- The team was once known as the Cardinals. During the Great Depression, the school needed to purchase new football uniforms. Unfortunately, the cost of jerseys made with red dye was too expensive for the school's budget. Therefore, they decided to go with less expensive black jerseys. At the time black was apparently a rare color for football uniforms, so the opposing teams and their fans made fun of the Waukesha athletes and called them the "Black Shirts." Rather than be embarrassed, the school decided to show pride in the name, and therefore re-named themselves the Blackshirts. They also decided to keep the cardinal as their mascot, renaming him "Blackie Blackshirt."

Waverly-Shell Rock Go-Hawks (IA) -- According to a story I read, this name was the winner of a contest to determine the school mascot. The winner chose "Go-Hawks" because the school was located between the University of Minnesota "Gophers" and the University of Iowa "Hawkeyes."

Wayne Zebras (MI) -- This mascot dates back to the 1920s, when the team got new striped basketball uniforms.

Webb Gauls (Claremont, CA) -- Gauls were ancient denizens of Western Europe.

Webb Feet (Bell Buckle, TN) -- A play on words, perhaps? Girls' teams at Webb are known as Lady Feet.

Wellington Skyrockets (TX) -- Sometimes shortened to "Rockets." Wellington Junior High's teams are called "Firecrackers," while the elementary school's students are dubbed "Sparklers."

Western Doves (Baltimore, MD) -- The mascot was chosen in 1981. The school's principal had pet doves in her office. Western's neighbor school, Polytechnic, has the parrot as its mascot. These were probably factors in Western's selection of the dove.

West Haven Westies (West Haven, CT) -- Probably comes from the "West" in "West Haven."

West Iron County Wykons (Iron River, MI) -- A "Wykon" is a three-legged mythological dragon/wildcat creature that has represented West Iron County Public Schools since 1968. Each leg stands for one of the three school districts that consolidated into the West Iron County system. Originally, the name was going to be "Wicon," but to avoid confusion with Wisconsin, the spelling was changed.

Westminster Martlets (Simsbury, CT) -- A martlet is a mythical bird often used in heraldry. The bird is often seen to symbolize the constant quest for knowledge and learning, The martlet is found on the crest of Westminster Abbey in London.

Weston-McEwen TigerScots (Athena, OR) -- Comes from the merger of two small schools, the Weston Athena Tigers and the McEwen Hilanders, into one.

West Philadelphia Catholic Burrs (Philadelphia, PA) -- A "burr" is a rough prickly husk or covering surrounding the seeds or fruits of plants such as the chestnut or the burdock. The school is located on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, which has many such trees growing in the vicinity. The girls' teams are called "Burrmaids."

West Plains Zizzers (MO) -- The name originated with the exclamation by a popular teacher, "Now, that's a ZIZZER!" The mascot is symbolized by a lightning bolt. For a number of years, the local elementary school called its students "Whiz Kids" and the middle school dubbed its students "Whizzers," a cross between "Whiz" Kids and "Zizzers."

West Rutland Golden Horde (VT) -- The history behind why West Rutland chose this mascot has unfortunately been lost thus far. It's possible the name came from the Mongolian army that invaded Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Southern Asia in the Middle Ages. West Rutland uses a viking-like warrior to symbolize the Horde.

Wethersfield Flying Geese (Kewanee, IL) -- They're also known as Geese, and this name is used by the junior high, too.

Whitehall Zephyrs (PA) -- The Class of 1937 held a contest to come up with a school nickname. A student submitted the name of “Zephyrs,” because of a locomotive and a large passenger car that shared the name. It was thought the Zephyr represented power, and would be a great name for the spirit of Whitehall.

Wildrose-Alamo Roses (ND) -- Must be for the name of the town...

Willard Jesters (Troy, NY) -- As the school puts it, the Jester "symbolizes an energetic, playful love of the game."

William Allen Canaries (Allentown, PA) -- The nickname comes from blue and canary uniforms the players were issued. The school's main rival uses the nickname "Hurricanes," and supposedly a canary is the only bird that can fly through such a storm relatively unscathed.

William Bodine Ambassadors (Philadelphia, PA) -- The school has a focus on international affairs and issues. The school logo includes a smiling globe with feet.

Williamsport Millionaires (Williamsport, PA) -- During the mid-1800's, Williamsport was known as the "lumber capital of the world" and boasted more millionaires per capita than anyplace else in the country. The athletic logo is a pair of white gloves draped over a cane and top hat.

Willingboro Chimeras (NJ) -- A "chimera" is mythical Greek monster with a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail.

Will Rogers Ropers (Tulsa, OK) -- School namesake Will Rogers was famous for his entertainment skills, which included rope tricks.

Winters Blizzards (TX) -- This mascot seems to be the result of word play using the school's name.

Woburn Tanners (MA) -- The city was a major center for tanning (changing animal hide into leather) and shoemaking from the early 1800s until the 1930s.

Wonderview Daredevils (Hattieville, AR) -- I think this nickname is used throughout the district.

Woonsocket Villa Novans (RI) -- Often shortened to "Novans." This name was attached to the school after it was built on land that had been Villa Nova Park.

Word of Life Firebrands (Honolulu, HI) -- A term for people who stir others to action.

Wrenshall Wrens (MN) -- Possibly derived from the school name. Also a type of small songbird.

Yuma Criminals (AZ) -- The school held classes from 1910 to 1913 at the abandoned territorial prision in the town. The school moved to a new building after the prison re-opened. After a 1913 football victory in Phoenix, the school was dubbed with the moniker as an insult from the losing side. This name is often shortened to "Crims."

Zeeland East Chix (Zeeland, MI) -- Zeeland was known between 1930 and 1950 for its chick hatcheries. In the 1940's, firms in Zeeland were producing about 18,000,000 chicks per year and providing employment for about 3,000 people.

Zeeland West Dux (Zeeland, MI) -- Zeeland East High's teams are known as "Chix."

Zion-Benton Township Fighting Zee Bees (Zion, IL) -- A combination of the school's initials: Z-B. This name also honors the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions of World War II, dubbed "Fighting Seabees," also for their initials. The Seabees were responsible for building airstrips, army bases, and naval harbors in the Pacific theater of the war, many times under enemy fire.


Contact the Webmaster

Disclaimer

©2008. Marc Sheehan, All rights reserved.