List of sports team names and mascots derived from Indigenous peoples
The following is a list of sports team names and mascots derived from Indigenous peoples, including generically used terms, those named after specific peoples, and words or iconography derived from indigenous languages or traditions.
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Team names
- Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, after the Inuktitut word for polar bear
- Alcorn State Braves
- Arkansas State Indians
- Atlanta Braves, originally Boston Braves, then Milwaukee Braves
- Boston Celtics
- Bradley Braves
- Burlington Indians
- Catawba Indians
- Central Michigan Chippewas
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Chowan Braves
- Cleveland Indians
- Danville Braves
- Edmonton Eskimos
- Exeter Chiefs
- Florida Southern Moccasins
- Florida State Seminoles
- Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors (men) and Rainbow Wahine (women); "Wahine" is the Hawaiian word for "woman"
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Indianapolis Indians
- IUP Indians, previously the Cherokees
- Louisiana-Monroe Indians
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Kinston Indians
- Macklin Mohawks
- Mississippi Braves
- Mississippi College Choctaws
- McMurry Indians
- New Zealand Maori, a New Zealand rugby union (and formerly rugby league) side whose members must be at least 1/16 Māori
- Newberry Indians
- North Dakota Fighting Sioux
- Orlando Braves
- Peoria Chiefs
- Portland Winterhawks
- Richmond Braves
- San Diego State Aztecs
- Southeastern Oklahoma State Savages and Lady Savages
- Spokane Chiefs
- Spokane Indians
- Utah Utes
- Waikato Chiefs
- Warroad Warriors
- Washington Redskins, originally Boston Redskins
- William and Mary Tribe
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Defunct names
- Adams State Indians, now the "Grizzlies"
- Akron Indians, a minor league baseball farm team for the Cleveland Indians, became the "Aeros"
- Akron Indians, defunct National Football League team, formerly the "Pros"
- Tri-Cities Blackhawks, of what is now the NBA, moved and renamed St. Louis / Atlanta "Hawks," after the bird
- Carlisle Indians, a school for Native Americans that was a college football power in the early 1900s
- Carthage Redmen, reverted to the "Red Men"
- Cleveland Indians of the National Football League, team defunct
- Cumberland Indians, now the "Patriots"
- Dartmouth Indians, disused since the 1970s in favor of "Big Green"
- Dickinson State Savages, renamed the "Blue Hawks" in 1972
- Eastern Michigan Hurons, now the "Eagles"
- Flint Indians, team defunct
- Grand Forks Central Redskins, renamed the "Knights"
- Hartwick Warriors, became the "Eagles" in 1994
- Kansas City Scouts of the NHL, moved to Colorado and became the Rockies, now the New Jersey Devils
- Marquette Warriors, became the "Golden Eagles" in 1994
- MCLA Mohawks, today the "Trailblazers"
- Miami Redskins, now the "RedHawks"
- Midwestern State Indians, latterly the "Mustangs" as of the 2006 season
- Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen, today the "Prairie Wolves"
- Oklahoma City U. Chiefs, now the "Stars"
- Oorang Indians, an early NFL entry actually comprised mostly of Native Americans
- Salisbury Indians, team defunct
- Simpson Redmen and Lady Reds, renamed the "Storm" in 1992
- Southeast Missouri State Indians and Otahkians, renamed the "Redhawks"
- Springfield Indians, moved to Worcester, then to Peoria
- St. Bonaventure Brown Indians and Brown Squaws, renamed the "Bonnies" in 1979
- Seattle U. Chieftains, now the "Redhawks"
- Southern Nazarene Redskins, now the "Crimson Storm"
- Springfield College Chiefs, now the "Pride"
- Stanford Indians, now known as the Stanford "Cardinal" (singular, not plural) for the school color, a shade of red
- Stonehill Chieftains, today the "Skyhawks"
- Syracuse Chiefs, a minor league baseball team now the "SkyChiefs"
- Virginia Wahoos, while not formally retired, is nowadays rare compared to their more popular name, the "Cavaliers"
St. John's University, New York, formerly the "Redmen", became the "Red Storm" in 1995, to be gender-neutral and to avoid any appearance of racism. The school's website indicates that the name did not refer to Native Americans, but to the school color, a bright cardinal red.
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
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Mascots
- Chief Brave Spirit, University of Louisiana at Monroe
- Chief Illiniwek, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Arguably a symbol and not a mascot)
- Chief Moccanooga, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (use of this mascot ended in 1996)
- Chief Noc-A-Homa, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves (Use of this mascot ended in early 1980s, existed as late as 1983 season)
- Princess Win-A-Lotta, paired with Chief Noc-A-Homa, introduced late 1970s, dropped at same time as Noc-A-Homa
- Chief Osceola, Florida State University Seminoles
- Chief Wahoo, Cleveland Indians
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Defunct mascots
- the Golden State Warriors' "Indian warrior" logo was replaced in 1971
- Marquette University's "Willie Wampum," retired in 1971
- Syracuse University's "Saltine Warrior"
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
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See also
- Hail to the Redskins
- Indigenous peoples
- List of company and product names derived from Indigenous peoples
- Mascot
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