LISTSERV - NICKNAME Archives - LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU

From: [log in to unmask]
Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 02:05:43 EDT
Subject: Marquette Searches for New Nickname
To: [log in to unmask]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_bd.57fbdc30.2fbc3537_boundary"

--part1_bd.57fbdc30.2fbc3537_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

With golden egg on its face, Marquette searches for new nickname

By ARNIE STAPLETON
c The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade was stumped, along with
thousands of other outraged Marquette fans, students and alumni, when the university
declared it was ditching the Golden Eagles moniker and forever burying the old
Warriors nickname in favor of ``Gold.''

What kind of name was that? And what kind of mascot could represent an inert
metal?

There's never been a gold rush in Milwaukee, unless you count the color of
the suds that flow from the city's breweries.

Gold? Instead of digging it, the public panned it.

Critics said it was a symbol of greed that conflicted with the school's
Jesuit principles. They called it uninspired, unnecessary, unacceptable.

It made the school a national laughingstock.

Wade, who led Marquette to the 2003 Final Four, called the campus to get an
explanation. He wasn't satisfied to hear the decision was handed down out of
the blue by a 38-member board of trustees that got together to reconsider the
school's decision to drop Warriors in the early 1990s.

``I'll always be known as a Golden Eagle,'' Wade insisted. ``And the people
before me, they'll always be known as the Warriors. And the new class coming
in, unfortunately, they're always going to be known as 'The Gold.'''

Not anymore.

The nickname lasted barely a week before the school made a stunning
about-face.

After getting hammered by more than 4,000 e-mails and countless phone calls,
on the airwaves and across the Internet, the red-faced trustees met in
emergency session and reversed field.

While still insisting that Warriors was out, in part because of the name's
connection to the cartoonish Willie Wampum mascot of the 1960s, the board
decided to put the issue into the hands of students, faculty, staff and some 100,000
alumni worldwide via Internet voting next week.

The list of 10 names is being finalized, but four former school nicknames -
``Golden Eagles,'' ``Golden Avalanche,'' ``Hilltoppers'' and ``Blue and Gold''
- will be among the choices. Write-in votes will be allowed, but ``Warriors''
votes will be discarded.


The top two finishers will be put up for another vote in mid-June and the
winning moniker - the school's fourth nickname in 11 years - will be announced by
July 1, when the school joins the reconfigured Big East Conference.

The outcry over the university's nickname started a year ago at graduation
when two trustees offered the school $1 million each to go back to Warriors,
which it dropped in favor of Golden Eagles because the name and logo offended
some American Indian groups.

Among those advocating a return to Warriors - a nickname used by 27
universities across the country, including Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee -
was university President Robert A. Wild.

In conversations with American Indian tribes and bands over the last year,
however, Wild realized it was impossible to divorce the nickname from its ugly
past.

``We're dealing with a human dignity issue, and that's real basic stuff for a
Catholic and Jesuit university,'' Wild said.

He believes much of the firestorm over the Gold nickname grew out of anger
from those who supported a return to Warriors. Many alumni across the country
still think of themselves as Warriors - 92 percent of them, according to an
online survey conducted by the university.

At a rally after Gold was announced as the new nickname, one student held a
sign that read: ``Exodus 15:3: 'The Lord is a warrior.'''

When trustees realized that Warriors wasn't going to make a comeback, they
decided to ditch Golden Eagles, too.

``It seemed like a bright idea at the time,'' Wild said. ``When we saw where
we were headed with Warriors, we said, 'Look at what Syracuse has done. They
went from Orangemen to Orange. Hey, one of our oldest traditions really has
been our school colors, blue and gold.' We had the Golden Eagles. We had the
Golden Avalanche when we had a football team. We tried to tap into that.''

It turned out to be fool's gold.

Wild said he didn't think alumni would withhold donations to the university
and he insisted the school won't have golden egg on its face for long.

``This is a blip on the radar screen,'' he suggested. ``The board of trustees
had the good sense to say, `All right, clearly the alumni were affected.
Let's move on.' That's what we're trying to do.''

AP sports writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

05/17/05 13:46 EDT


--part1_bd.57fbdc30.2fbc3537_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT  SIZE=3D5 PTSIZE=3D16 FAMILY=
=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><B>With golden egg on its face, Mar=
quette searches for new nickname<BR>
</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR:=20=
#ffffff" SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"=
></B><BR>
<B>By ARNIE STAPLETON</B><BR>
</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR:=20=
#ffffff" SIZE=3D1 PTSIZE=3D8 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">=
<I>.c The Associated Press </FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff"=20=
style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF=
" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"></I><BR>
<BR>
MILWAUKEE (AP) - <A HREF=3D"aol://1722:Miami Heat">Miami Heat</A> star Dwyan=
e Wade was stumped, along with thousands of other outraged Marquette fans, s=
tudents and alumni, when the university declared it was ditching the Golden=20=
Eagles moniker and forever burying the old Warriors nickname in favor of ``G=
old.''<BR>
<BR>
What kind of name was that? And what kind of mascot could represent an inert=
 metal?<BR>
<BR>
There's never been a gold rush in Milwaukee, unless you count the color of t=
he suds that flow from the city's breweries.<BR>
<BR>
Gold? Instead of digging it, the public panned it.<BR>
<BR>
Critics said it was a symbol of greed that conflicted with the school's Jesu=
it principles. They called it uninspired, unnecessary, unacceptable.<BR>
<BR>
It made the school a national laughingstock.<BR>
<BR>
Wade, who led Marquette to the 2003 Final Four, called the campus to get an=20=
explanation. He wasn't satisfied to hear the decision was handed down out of=
 the blue by a 38-member board of trustees that got together to reconsider t=
he school's decision to drop Warriors in the early 1990s.<BR>
<BR>
``I'll always be known as a Golden Eagle,'' Wade insisted. ``And the people=20=
before me, they'll always be known as the Warriors. And the new class coming=
 in, unfortunately, they're always going to be known as 'The Gold.'''<BR>
<BR>
Not anymore.<BR>
<BR>
The nickname lasted barely a week before the school made a stunning about-fa=
ce.<BR>
<BR>
After getting hammered by more than 4,000 e-mails and countless phone calls,=
 on the airwaves and across the Internet, the red-faced trustees met in emer=
gency session and reversed field.<BR>
<BR>
While still insisting that Warriors was out, in part because of the name's c=
onnection to the cartoonish Willie Wampum mascot of the 1960s, the board dec=
ided to put the issue into the hands of students, faculty, staff and some 10=
0,000 alumni worldwide via Internet voting next week.<BR>
<BR>
The list of 10 names is being finalized, but four former school nicknames -=20=
``Golden Eagles,'' ``Golden Avalanche,'' ``Hilltoppers'' and ``Blue and Gold=
'' - will be among the choices. Write-in votes will be allowed, but ``Warrio=
rs'' votes will be discarded.<BR>
<BR>
The top two finishers will be put up for another vote in mid-June and the wi=
nning moniker - the school's fourth nickname in 11 years - will be announced=
 by July 1, when the school joins the reconfigured Big East Conference.<BR>
<BR>
The outcry over the university's nickname started a year ago at graduation w=
hen two trustees offered the school $1 million each to go back to Warriors,=20=
which it dropped in favor of Golden Eagles because the name and logo offende=
d some American Indian groups.<BR>
<BR>
Among those advocating a return to Warriors - a nickname used by 27 universi=
ties across the country, including Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee -=
 was university President Robert A. Wild.<BR>
<BR>
In conversations with American Indian tribes and bands over the last year, h=
owever, Wild realized it was impossible to divorce the nickname from its ugl=
y past.<BR>
<BR>
``We're dealing with a human dignity issue, and that's real basic stuff for=20=
a Catholic and Jesuit university,'' Wild said.<BR>
<BR>
He believes much of the firestorm over the Gold nickname grew out of anger f=
rom those who supported a return to Warriors. Many alumni across the country=
 still think of themselves as Warriors - 92 percent of them, according to an=
 online survey conducted by the university.<BR>
<BR>
At a rally after Gold was announced as the new nickname, one student held a=20=
sign that read: ``Exodus 15:3: 'The Lord is a warrior.'''<BR>
<BR>
When trustees realized that Warriors wasn't going to make a comeback, they d=
ecided to ditch Golden Eagles, too.<BR>
<BR>
``It seemed like a bright idea at the time,'' Wild said. ``When we saw where=
 we were headed with Warriors, we said, 'Look at what Syracuse has done. The=
y went from Orangemen to Orange. Hey, one of our oldest traditions really ha=
s been our school colors, blue and gold.' We had the Golden Eagles. We had t=
he Golden Avalanche when we had a football team. We tried to tap into that.'=
'<BR>
<BR>
It turned out to be fool's gold.<BR>
<BR>
Wild said he didn't think alumni would withhold donations to the university=20=
and he insisted the school won't have golden egg on its face for long.<BR>
<BR>
``This is a blip on the radar screen,'' he suggested. ``The board of trustee=
s had the good sense to say, `All right, clearly the alumni were affected. L=
et's move on.' That's what we're trying to do.''<BR>
<BR>
AP sports writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.<BR>
 <BR>
05/17/05 13:46 EDT<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT></HTML>

--part1_bd.57fbdc30.2fbc3537_boundary--