All Time Most Offensive School Mascots: Pekin (Ill) Chinks

Elon University was known as the "Fighting Christians" for years before changing to the Phoenix.

I guess they thought they were still in the middle-ages.

Found this online:

"Pekin, a town in central Illinois not far from Peoria, is thought to be named for the Chinese capital. Its high school teams were the Chinks until 1981, when public sentiment forced a change to Dragons."

I first heard of the Chinks in the mid-60s and was astonished by the name... even then.

I guess Dragons is as safe as they come (hate to think what other options the town fathers in KKK country considered)

Northern Colorado was the "Fightin' Whites" for a long time, not anymore although I don't know the current name.

How about the Rhode Island School of Design Nads? Apparently chosen so that their cheers can rival the old Norfolk joke.

I did enjoy finding the Battling Bishops of both NC & OH Wesleyan University, who will join the Poets of Whittier and everyone's favorite Banana Slugs as "team names most difficult to get excited about".

Can I say that I've been offended by the meer existence of the Red Sox for years!

Opps... not a school

I am offended by the narrow minded thinking of people-- the Seminoles were not offended so why should we ?

I know no Irish individual that is upset that the Notre Dame teams are called the Fighting Irish


Now for a real dumb question--if the FSU people keep their Seminole heritage what do you tell the other schools on the list? A bit of selectivism here is there not !!!

Heck with the Criminoles. How about the Ragin' Cajuns??

One of my favorite mascot names (though not really offensive) would be Heidelburg (OH)University's "Student Princes."

Political correctness at it's worst!

Thank You LIBERAL'S!

TR ...

The article I read in our local paper said that the NCAA would look at each school on a case-by-case basis if the school wanted special dispensation. Last I read, the Illinois Illini and the Utah Utes are apparently building their cases now.

Now as for the topic ... can't think of anything more offensive than the Pekin IL mascot but I think one of the funniest in our area (Whittier's Poets may have been named by the same person) was the Laguna Beach Artists. The school recently changed its mascot to something more athletic ... can't remember exactly what it is ... but not without complaints and concerns from allumni. We used to chuckle trying to imagine what their baseball team wore to games ... a beret instead of a cap, a smock instead of a jersey, a very large paint brush in lieu of a bat, and gloves/mitts bearing a strange resemblance to a painter's palette.

So, Top Prospect, you're upset that the Pekin High mascot was changed from the "Chinks"?

Well, of course, the NCAA....that well-known left-wing bastion . As long as we're stereotyping....

Although I would never characterize myself as "upset", being of Irish heritage, I do find the stage-Irishman cartoon thing representing the "Fighting Irish" distasteful.

quote:

Originally posted by P-Dog:
So, Top Prospect, you're upset that the Pekin High mascot was changed from the "Chinks"?

This reminds me of "Two Wongs make it White laundry service" and how Abercrombie screwed up so many times. I still have that shirt, by the way. Now AF has a special site for Californians who have complained before.

quote:

Rhode Island School of Design Nads

They don't seem to have much of an athletic program but their bookstore sells shirts carrying the name "Balls"

https://www.risd.com/risd_store/rs_product_detailnew.cfm

So, is it Balls or Nads? ::

Can you top the Hoopeston CornJerkers for a HS name?
http://www.hoopeston.k12.il.us/

I see the nickname doesn't appear on the baseball uniforms
http://www.hoopeston.k12.il.us/buildings/highschool/sports/baseball/index.html

quote:

I see the nickname doesn't appear on the baseball uniforms

Gee, I wonder why...

Hey, while at Bradley (we're still the Braves, for now), I did some work at Pekin High School. Watched them win a football game one night where their big offensive play was a quarterback sneak.

As a kid, I always thought the most offensive nickname was the Bleep-Bleep Bleeping Yankees. Figured that had to be their nickname; that's what everybody seemed to be calling them.

My son's team (The Doubledays) played a team with a mascot I wouldn't want to offend...The Batavia Muckdogs.

The school no longer exists, but at one time, in Saltville, Virginia, there were the Saltville High School.... Shakers!

Very pretty town by the way.

Middle School in small Texas Town (back in the day it was called a Junior High).

G A Y Junior HS Raiders (G AY Raiders)

Understand it is now "Memorial Middle School"

enjoying reading these...keep 'em up.

I have to say that I found the Gamecocks of USC to be offensive...especially since most of their fans leave the "game" part off...also Hofstra are the Flying Dutchmen...but then again has anyone ever seen a Purple Eagle

Erwin HS (Asheville, NC). Their boys teams are the Warriors, and their girls' team USED to be known as the SQUAWS! Now it's just Lady Warriors.

Not offensive but just a weird one was the Scottsdale Community College Mascot (I think it has since been changed after at least 10+yrs)

"The Articokes"

I was living in Palm Springs years ago when they were opening a new Middle School and had chosen the name the "Sun Devils" but after much discussion with the community it was veteod because they thought it could be seen as satanic.

My son's High School Mascot is a bit controversial if you look up the definition "The Marauders".....

You can have a lot of fun (read: waste time) at this site that lists a zillion schools by mascot name. Many have ethnic, religious or country origins: Dutch, Irish Celtic, Scots, Swedes. One is Jewish, the Yeshiva Maccabees.

Many are satanic, sexual.

One is erotic: The Sweet Briar College Vixens

So many are prefaced with "Fighting" that they left off that part of the mascots' names on the list

Almost none have names related to education. There are no "Scholars" for example.

http://www.smargon.net/nicknames/

I remember back in my childhood (won't say how long ago that was...)in Illinois watching the high school state basketball tournament. This was before they separated into divisions. There was a Hoosiers-like situation where a little school named Cobden was playing in the finals. Their nickname was the "Apple********" and I thought it was the funniest name I had ever heard. They were fun to watch -- most of the players were related in some way to each other, and one of them was married to one of the cheerleaders! I think the Pekin Chinks were in that tournament as well. Anybody remember that one?

lhp...Remember it well. Cobden Applekn..kers

Big tall, useless "white" guys who couldn't play.

Bad year for basketball that year. I think they finished 2nd.

JT, you bring up the one thing about team names I do find offensive -- the "Lady" bit. I don't undertand why the athletes themselves don't find the additional word at least useless, if not downright offensive. Are the boys' teams the "Gentlemen"?

Frisco High School 'Coon's

I'm familiar with Cobden, a tiny school of 200 that made it to the Ill championship around 1964. Most kids were relatives...tall ones.

Wonder whether the Apple-nockers ever played the CornJerkers.

I'm not at all offended by one of my favorites -

Sweet Briar College VIXENS


catchermom,
Hofstra is the "PRIDE" with a Lady-Lion as their mascot

and you were offended by
Flying Dutchmen, A SAILING SHIP with a GHOST CREW?

and Gamecocks, MEAN CHICKENS?


a little thin skinned, maybe??



.

Across the top of Hofstra's dugout is written Flying Dutchmen...one can only assume that is their logo...and no I did not find that offensive just comical
Still find Gamecocks quite offensive...especially since only one part of the word is yelled during games

While not offensive, I would have found it hard to play football for the Fisher (IL) Bunnies. On the other hand, my wife, while visiting one of my kid's grade school classes a few years ago, had the class rabbit keep biting her on the foot! Maybe bunnies are more ferocious than I give them credit for.

Belhaven College, Jackson, MS, is a small NAIA Presbyterian College, who are now known as the Belhaven Blazers.

They used to be known as the Belhaven Clansmen. If I recall correctly, the mascot in those days was a guy in a plaid kilt with a bagpipe. This was a reference to the Clans of Scotland, but they changed it for perception reasons.

In our area we have a name that at least rivals the CornJerkers in being unusual.

They are the Jordan Beetdiggers.http://www.jordandistrict.org/schools/high/jordan/

quote:

I was living in Palm Springs years ago when they were opening a new Middle School and had chosen the name the "Sun Devils" but after much discussion with the community it was veteod because they thought it could be seen as satanic.

So - is that "Political Correctness" run amok? Darn those LIBERALS, anyway...

lhpx2:
I typed the Apple******** on my first post but like your post it took out the word with ******* so I just deleted it figuring that no one would be able to figure out the name/word......

Can't believe you guys know that team. Yes, they were almost all related and I am proud to say, most were my cousins, I was born in Cobden (left in 63 to relocate to AZ) and most of my family is still in that area.

If they hadn't already made the film Hoosier's this team would have been the one to make a movie about....

Amazing how 40+years later people still remember this team, it was before divisions in Illinois so any town could take it all the way no matter the size of the town/school, it was MAJOR..... and still is to the community/players/fans.

Thanks for bringing them up...

In 1952 Hebron HS with only 98 students, won the Ill championship. Same story. Most kids were related and one was 6'10". The brother of one was an NBA player who coached the team. I'm not even sure the school had a gym.

Read the story:
http://www.ihsa.org/hebron/releases.htm

Oldbat --

When the movie Hoosiers came out I honestly thought it WAS about Cobden, because the story was so similar. Coming from a monstrously large high school in suburban Chicago, my family sort of "adopted" Cobden that year and cheered hard for them throughout the tournament. Since you are related (very cool!), any updates on some of the players? And did they lose to Pekin that year? I sort of remember that...

When Cobden went to the championship I was 6 years old and we had just moved away, the newspaper clippings came flooding into our home. I just remember the pride in my parents but also the sadness that they had left their home, all their family and something "big" was happening and they had no one to share it with....I will have to ask my father about my cousins (they were his first cousins and my second/third) for updates.

I too watched Hoosiers and was sitting there thinking the same thing, this was just like the stories my parents told me growing up.....yes, they lost in the championship game 50-45, but getting there was the biggest reward of all....

Regarding Hebron, Same kind of story but they got the BIG win! There is a movie out about that team and a book called : Becoming Giants (I believe that is the name).