Anyone ever suggest the Fighting Illini Red Tails?
Could reference both the hawk and the Tuskegee Airman, first activated in Rantoul btw...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_hawk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen
The costume is even on sale!!!
https://www.mascotcosplay.com/red-tail-hawk-mascot-costume.html
This conversation always goes so well....
Crap, we might as well steal the nickname/mascot of Hoopeston/East Lynn.
The University of Illinois Corn Jerkers...
smh...
Any mascot would conceivably change our name as well I assume.
Alabama Crimson Tide has an elephant and Auburn Tigers have a War Eagle. Only 2 examples off the top of my head for non-related mascots to team name.Any mascot would conceivably change our name as well I assume. We're not gonna be the University of Illinois Fighting Illini War Eagles. I think that part is what bothers me the most. If you really want a new mascot, make not a Fighting Illini ala Tennessee with their Volunteer. Yeesh. We don't need a whole makeover.
Alabama Crimson Tide has an elephant and Auburn Tigers have a War Eagle. Only 2 examples off the top of my head for non-related mascots to team name.
I just don't see a mascot that works here.
But even those examples have a history to them and why they came to be. I feel like if there was an example of that or a legend with Illinois history that would lend itself to a mascot, we would know it by now.Alabama Crimson Tide has an elephant and Auburn Tigers have a War Eagle. Only 2 examples off the top of my head for non-related mascots to team name.
Only one that has my vote.If we are ever to have a mascot, it should be something some students organically start doing themselves. Any top-down corporatized focus-grouped monstrosity is going to be instantly reviled and deservedly so.
I defy you to tell me you wouldn't be entertained by some student in a big goofy fuzzy Abe Lincoln head with a black eye while wearing orange boxing gloves on their normal sized body. Tell me that isn't hilarious. You can't.
If memory serves, which could very well be wrong, Illini predates the WW1 "fighting illini". The Illini nation, for which our state was named, is from Native American Origin, as is the state's name and many, many towns, lakes, rivers, etc."Fighting Illini" isn't like "Fighting Sioux" or whatever. That's not the etymology. Obviously it's been used that way from time to time, and the Chief complicated it somewhat, but it's not a "Native American Nickname".
Don't concede that premise. It's not true.
If memory serves, which could very well be wrong, Illini predates the WW1 "fighting illini". The Illini nation, for which our state was named, is from Native American Origin, as is the state's name and many, many towns, lakes, rivers, etc.
I think that Iowa State's Cyclone name with the red bird mascot is another example. Like Alabama, the name Cyclone came from something else, in ISU case a newspaper story about ISU came in like a cyclone and blew someone away (I think Northwestern, but not sure on that point).Alabama Crimson Tide has an elephant and Auburn Tigers have a War Eagle. Only 2 examples off the top of my head for non-related mascots to team name.
Fair enough. I'm saying for myself though that's the only acceptable mascot change I would be okay with.Alabama Crimson Tide has an elephant and Auburn Tigers have a War Eagle. Only 2 examples off the top of my head for non-related mascots to team name.