North Dakota announces 'Fighting Hawks' as new school nickname
After a three-year wait, North Dakota's sports programs have a nickname again.
By
Jerry Hinnen
•
1 min read
After three years of waiting, the University of North Dakota's sports programs have a nickname again.
UND president Robert Kelley announced Wednesday that the former "Fighting Sioux" will now be known as the "Fighting Hawks," the nickname chosen by UND voters in an online voting runoff over runner-up "Roughriders." The "Fighting Sioux" moniker was controversially dropped at the NCAA's behest in 2012, sparking years of debate and discussion over what the university's athletics programs -- perhaps most notably, its powerhouse men's hockey program -- should be called instead.
“I think this name underscores the tremendous competitive spirit of our athletic teams, our student-athletes and the entirety of the University of North Dakota, expressing our state spirit and the fact that UND continues to ascend to newer heights on a daily basis,” Kelley said, per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Here's the breakdown of the vote. Get more details on the Fighting Hawks name & the vote: https://t.co/pdDPECefAj pic.twitter.com/r9240Braz0
— Univ of North Dakota (@myUND) November 18, 2015
Wednesday's announcement concludes a selection process that lasted three years and, per the Star-Tribune, cost the school more than $200,000. The school will now request bids to design the athletics department's now logos and uniforms, with some of the new "Fighting Hawks" uniforms to be worn as soon as the 2016-2017 school year.
As Ole Miss' experience with retiring "Colonel Reb" illustrates, there will always be UND fans who'll continue to cling to -- and vocally support -- the restoration of the "Fighting Sioux" nickname. But for many, Wednesday will mark the end of the controversy and the chance to move forward -- and for a set of teams without a nickname to wear on their uniforms, one that comes not a moment too soon.
