how every FBS team got its nickname

Ever wonder why Vanderbilt is called the Commodores? Why Purdue is the Boilermakers? What even is a Tar Heel, anyway? In this video, I've compiled the stories and reasonings behind every FBS team's nickname, from all the Wildcats and Tigers straight down to the Golden Hurricane and Zips. Some nicknames have similar origins, like being given to them by sportswriters or student votes, and others are more unique. Some are chosen, others are earned. CHAPTERS, FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE: 0:08 Air Force Falcons 0:26 Akron Zips 0:44 Alabama Crimson Tide 1:05 Appalachian State Mountaineers 1:26 Arizona Wildcats 1:45 Arizona State Sun Devils 2:13 Arkansas Razorbacks 2:30 Arkansas State Red Wolves 3:03 Army Black Knights 3:20 Auburn Tigers 3:37 Ball State Cardinals 4:02 Baylor Bears 4:23 Boise State Broncos 4:36 Boston College Eagles 4:53 Bowling Green Falcons 5:12 Buffalo Bulls 5:31 BYU Cougars 5:44 Cal Golden Bears 6:04 Central Michigan Chippewas 6:26 Charlotte 49ers 6:46 Cincinnati Bearcats 7:09 Clemson Tigers 7:26 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 7:53 Colorado Buffaloes 8:04 Colorado State Rams 8:21 Delaware Blue Hens 8:42 Duke Blue Devils 9:01 East Carolina Pirates 9:14 Eastern Michigan Eagles 9:32 Florida Atlantic Owls 9:52 Florida International Panthers 10:11 Florida Gators 10:39 Florida State Seminoles 11:12 Fresno State Bulldogs 11:28 Georgia Bulldogs 11:47 Georgia Southern Eagles 12:01 Georgia State Panthers 12:18 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 12:37 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors 13:18 Houston Cougars 13:31 Illinois Fightin' Illini 13:50 Indiana Hoosiers 14:00 Iowa Hawkeyes 14:20 Iowa State Cyclones 15:01 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 15:22 James Madison Dukes 15:45 Kansas Jayhawks 16:17 Kansas State Wildcats 16:39 Kennesaw State Owls 16:55 Kent State Golden Flashes 17:14 Kentucky Wildcats 17:32 Liberty Flames 17:52 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 18:18 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 18:52 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 19:31 Louisville Cardinals 19:49 LSU Tigers 20:06 Marshall Thundering Herd 20:21 Maryland Terrapins 20:42 Memphis Tigers 20:59 Miami Hurricanes 21:22 Miami of Ohio Redhawks 21:44 Michigan Wolverines 22:16 Michigan State Spartans 22:38 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 22:49 Minnesota Golden Gophers 23:18 Mississippi State Bulldogs 23:40 Missouri Tigers 23:52 Missouri State Bears 24:15 Navy Midshipmen 24:42 NC State Wolfpack 25:09 Nebraska Cornhuskers 25:50 Nevada Wolf Pack 26:10 New Mexico Lobos 26:31 New Mexico State Aggies 26:45 North Carolina Tar Heels 27:17 North Texas Mean Green 27:44 Northern Illinois Huskies 28:02 Northwestern Wildcats 28:34 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 29:16 Ohio Bobcats 29:29 Ohio State Buckeyes 29:52 Oklahoma Sooners 30:20 Oklahoma State Cowboys 30:51 Old Dominion Monarchs 31:24 Ole Miss Rebels or Landsharks 31:52 Oregon Ducks 32:30 Oregon State Beavers 32:48 Penn State Nittany Lions 33:14 Pittsburgh Panthers 33:45 Purdue Boilermakers 34:21 Rice Owls 34:29 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 34:56 Sam Houston State Bearkats 35:28 San Diego State Aztecs 35:57 San Jose State Spartans 36:17 SMU Mustangs 36:41 South Alabama Jaguars 37:06 South Carolina Gamecocks 37:42 South Florida Bulls 38:04 Southern Miss Golden Eagles 38:41 Stanford Cardinal 39:12 Syracuse Orange 39:43 TCU Horned Frogs 40:01 Temple Owls 40:16 Tennessee Volunteers 40:47 Texas Longhorns 41:04 Texas A&M Aggies 41:19 Texas State Bobcats 41:37 Texas Tech Red Raiders 42:11 Toledo Rockets 42:47 Troy Trojans 43:05 Tulane Green Wave 43:39 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 44:09 UAB Blazers 44:37 UCF Knights (or Citronauts) 45:14 UCLA Bruins 45:44 UConn Huskies 45:59 UMass Minutemen 46:23 UNLV Rebels 47:02 USC Trojans 47:24 Utah Utes 47:43 Utah State Aggies 48:07 UTEP Miners 48:33 UTSA Roadrunners 48:57 Vanderbilt Commodores 49:21 Virginia Cavaliers 49:51 Virginia Tech Hokies 50:13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 50:32 Washington Huskies 51:10 Washington State Cougars 51:39 West Virginia Mountaineers 51:55 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 52:10 Western Michigan Broncos 52:29 Wisconsin Badgers 52:52 Wyoming Cowboys