Strangest team names and mascots in sports

Williams College (Mass.) Ephs Mascot:The school mascot is famously the Purple Cow.A 1907 vote gave Williams College its mascot, named after a student humor magazine on campus.

Fond du Lac Sock Spiders – Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the upper-midwest and Canada.

Wichita State University Shockers: The Shockers are believed to have gotten their name after a team manager chose it because many of the football players had spent their off-season "shocking" (harvesting) wheat in the fields.

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – Marlins Class AA affiliate

Utah Jazz: By now we're so used to the NBA name that it doesn't sound funny. But this is a perfect example of a team's relocation causing a need for a team name change. "Jazz" was perfect for New Orleans in 1974, but is completely unfitting in Salt Lake City.

New Orleans Baby Cakes – Marlins' Class AAA affiliate

Minnesota Wild:The name isn't that wacky, but "Wild"...really? At least give fans a noun instead of an adjective. The team was founded in 1997 as an NHL franchise in Minnesota after the North Stars moved to Dallas in '93. The new name was introduced with the song, "Born to be Wild," playing over the arena's speaker system. Epic.

Batavia (N.Y.) Muckdogs: This minor league baseball team serves as the Short-Season Class-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Team was previously Clippers, Indians and Pirates but then decided to let the fans choose the team name and logo in 1998 based off a poll. You won't find "muckdog" in the dictionary but based off the team logo we suspect it means dirty/angry canine.

Lehigh Valley (Pa.) IronPigs: Minor league baseball team that plays in the International League as the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The name is a reference to pig iron, used in the manufacturing of steel, for which the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania is world-renowned.

Savannah (Ga.) Sand Gnats: Minor league baseball team is a member of the A-level South Atlantic League since the 2007 season, serving as an affiliate of the New York Mets. The team was featured in the first Season of Da Ali G Show, when the character Borat sang his national anthem, and then ventured into the locker room.

Montgomery (Ala.) Biscuits: Minor league is the Class AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and plays in the Southern League. The 2004 season was the team's first in Montgomery. The team mascots is "Monty," an anthropomorphized buttermilk biscuit. The Biscuits' owners selected the team's nickname from an entry in a "name the team" contest. During games, biscuits are shot from an air cannon, into the stands.

Asheville (N.C.) Tourists: Minor league team plays in the Class A South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since 1994. The name dates to 1915, when local sportswriters began referring to the then-Mountaineers team as the Tourists. The team's manager, Joe Mikulik, was known for his famous meltdowns, once picking up second base during a game.

Southern Illinois Salukis: The Salukis are named after the Suluki breed of dog. Native Southern Illinois residents call the area "Egypt," and Salukis were animal of choice for Egyptians.

Indiana State Sycamores: The Sycamores are named after the abundance of Sycamore trees in its Indiana area.

Florida Fire Frogs – Braves Class A affiliate

Evansville Purple Aces: This Missouri Valley Conference team's name was acquired in the 1920s after an opposing coach cracked a joke after losing to the Evansville College Pioneers. The coach said, "You didn't have four Aces up your sleeve, you had five."

Delaware Blue Hens: The Blue Hens are named after chickens that were frequently used in cockfights for soldier's entertainment during the Revolutionary War.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies – Mets Class AA affiliate

Manhattan Jaspers: The unique nickname comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served at the college in the late 19th century.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: It's Hawaii...name's pretty obvious. Prior to 2000, the University's men's teams went by Rainbow Warriors. Now the basketball, swimming and diving, and tennis teams are still "Rainbow Warriors," the the baseball team adopted the name "Rainbows," and the football, golf, and volleyball teams have adopted the name "Warriors."

University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos:The Kangaroo name was chosen back in 1936, around the same time, the Kansas City Zoo purchased two baby kangaroos.

St. Bonaventure Bonnies:The school became known as the Bonnies after changing its mascot from the Brown Indian.

Saint Louis Billikens: During the 1911 season, according to one version of the story, local sportswriters tabbed football coach John R. Bender's teams as "Bender's Billikens" because he had an uncanny resemblance to a charm doll called a Billiken, a national fad at the time.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos: The Gauchos took their name back in 1936, when the female student population led a vote that was inspired by the 1927 film The Gaucho.

UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs: The UC Santa Cruz student body got behind the idea of the lowly banana slug because they felt it represents how UCSC pushes for athletic participation for all compared to the attitudes of most universities. John Travolta famously wore a UCSC shirt in the 1994 movie, "Pulp Fiction."

TCU Horned Frogs:The Horned Frog is a Texas reptile, and has been the mascot name since 1897, before the school was even named TCU.

Stony Brook Seawolves:The school changed its name from Patriots in 2004 toSeawolves, which are named after a mythical sea creature said to bring good luck to all those lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Yet the mascot is a wolf.

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Hardrockers: The school got its team name from the school's mining background. The mascot is Grubby the Miner.

St. Louis (Mo.) College of Pharmacy Eutectics: For all the complaining of names that don't make much sense, this one, while bizarre, makes sense. The word, "Eutectic" describes the scientific process of two solids being combined to form a liquid. The mascot looks like a gremlin in a doctor's coat.

University of California-Irvine Anteaters Mascot:The Anteater was chosen as the school's mascot in 1965 after a vote. The inspiration for mascot Peter The Anteater came from "B.C.," a comic strip by Johnny Hart.

Webster University (Mo.) Gorloks: The name Gorlok is the combination of two intersecting streets on Webster's campus, Gore and Lockwood avenues. The student newspaper asked people to draw what they thought a Gorlok looked like, and the winning sketch was handed over to a professional designer. The image has been changed over time.

Washburn University (Topeka, Kan.) Ichabods: Named for Ichabod Washburn, a businessman who was an early benefactor of the university.

Trinity Christian College (Ill.) Trolls: There are several legends about how and why the Trolls got their name, including stories of troll sightings under a bridge near the campus.

Illinois College (Jacksonville, Ill.) Blueboys and Lady Blues: The men of Illinois have been called the Blueboys ever since the Civil War, when many of them put their education on hold to fight. The women, likewise, later took the name Lady Blues.

St. Francis Xavier University X-Men and X-Women This Canadian University's nickname is inspired by the school's name and sadly has nothing to do with the Marvel superheroes.

Scottsdale Community College Artichokes: During the 1970s, students were infuriated that the administration had reportedly used scholarship money intended for Native American students to bribe athletes into the school. In a protest, the school voted to change the mascot to something ridiculous to serve as a badge of shame. It's working. Artie the Fighting Artichoke is the team's mascot.

Heidelberg (Ohio) University Student Princes: The Student Princes are named after an operetta about a German prince who learned to love university life.

Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels: A stormy petrel is a seabird, commonly found on the Eastern seaboard, and known for flying low to the ocean to look for food. The university president chose the name in the early 1900s. According to legend, James Oglethorpe was inspired by the courage of the small, gutsy bird as it dove in and out of the crashing ocean waves as he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1732.

Kaukauna (Wis.) High School Galloping Ghosts:Depending on which story you believe, Kaukauna's nickname either traces its roots to a sportswriter describing the football team before a game on Halloween or a Kaukauna football coach who was enamored with Red Grange.

Hoopeston Area (Ill.) High School Cornjerkers: The moniker refers to the laborers who jerked corn from the stalk before machines made the process obsolete. As any Michigan fan could probably tell you, Ohio State men's basketball coach Thad Matta is a Cornjerker.

Camas (Wash.) High School Papermakers: The school's mascot is a humanized mechanical paper-rolling machine, which commemorates the town's founding industry, the production of paper goods at the Georgia Pacific paper mill.

Fisher (Ill.) High School Bunnies:During a tournament in 1933, members of the Fisher boys basketball team wore rabbit's feet on their uniform belts for good luck. A local sportswriter noticed and referred to the team, which didn't have a nickname at the time, as the "Bunny Boys."

Goodrich (Mich.) High School Martians: The school was founded as the Goodrich Rural Agricultural School and its athletic teams were originally known as the Gladiators. That name was later ditched in favor of Martians, a nod to Mars, the Roman agricultural god of war.

Colorado Rocky Mountain School Oysters: Many believe that CRMS' mascot is a reference to the mollusk, but its true underpinnings are in the Rocky Mountain Oyster delicacy, also known as fried bull testicles. CRMS awards a trophy of its mascot to the winner of the Oystermeister, a competition comprised of various athletic events.

Yuma (Ariz.) High School Criminals: From 1910-1912, Yuma students attended classes in the cellblock areas of the abandoned Yuma Territorial Prison. In 1913, a new school building was built and Yuma's athletic teams had a unique nickname.

San Benito (Hollister, Calif.) High School Haybalers: Hollister was once the hay capital of the world and became known as Hay City. Not long after the school began playing football in the 1920s, Hay Balers was adopted as the team's nickname.

Williamsport (Pa.) High School Millionaires: Williamsport, which is home to the Little League World Series, once had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Blooming Prairie (Minn.) High School Awesome Blossoms: Originally the Blossoms, Awesome was added in 1969. There have been multiple campaigns to change the nickname, which was first used by a local newspaper, but this Blossom won't wilt.

Chattanooga (Tenn.) Central High School Purple Pounders: Central's athletic teams were originally known as the Purple Warriors, but a local sportswriter began referring to the school's dominating football team as the Purple Pounders in the 1930s.

Centralia (Ill.) High School Orphans (Boys) and Annies (Girls): The nicknames date to the early 1900s, when Centralia's boys basketball team took the floor at the state tournament in non-matching uniforms. An announcer commented that the team looked like a bunch of orphans and the name stuck. Calling Centralia's girls teams the Annies was a no-brainer.

Dexter (Mich.) High School Dreadnaughts: Dexter's athletic teams are named after the HMS Dreadnought, a revolutionary battleship introduced by the British Royal Navy in 1906.

Orofino (Idaho) High School Maniacs: Some claim the school's nickname was adopted after a fan from a rival school claimed Orofino's basketball team played like a bunch of maniacs. Others claim it was adopted shortly after State Hospital North, which housed mentally ill patients, was built in Orofino in 1905.

Cairo (Ga.) High School Syrupmakers: Name comes from the town, known as "syrup city" because Roddenberry's syrup plant was formerly located in Cairo. The mascot is depicted as a syrup pitcher. The term is often shortened to "Maids" for the girls or "Makers" for the boys.

New Braunfels (Texas) Unicorns: North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and the Columbus School for Girls (Bexley, Ohio) also hold this team name. But this team is in Texas...and plays football.