Did you ever wonder how the "Zips" of the University of Akron got their nickname?

By David McClelland

One of the most unique college nicknames is the "Zips" of the University of Akron.
Originally, "Zippers," the name was shortened to "Zips" in 1950 by then Athletic Director, Kenneth "Red" Cochrane, 25 years earlier. The teams got the name, "Zippers," in a campus-wide contest to choose the nickname for the school's athletic teams. "Zippers" was the name of a very popular, rubber overshoe made by the B.F. Goodrich Company, headquartered in Akron, Ohio and first introduced in 1923. The boots were so popular that they made a lasting impression on the world. They had a slide fastener with interlocking metal teeth. With a quick pull of the tab, the boots either opened wide or sealed shut. Since it "zipped" shut, the mechanism became known as a zipper. "Zippy" the kangaroo became the Akron mascot in 1953. The kangaroo was chosen because it is an animal with speed, agility, power and determination. Now you know how the "Zips" got their name.

Let's look at a few other schools with unusual nicknames and where they came from:

The Virginia Tech "Hokies" is certainly one. The school's web site says that the name has been around since 1895 and, like hooray, rah or yeah, is used to express feeling, approval, excitement and surprise. The name was coined by O.M. Stull, class of 1896, and used in a spirit yell he coined for a competition.

The "Hoyas" of Georgetown University is also an unusual nickname. What is a "Hoyas," you wonder? The name came into use in the 1920's. The school admits that the precise origin of the name is unknown. It is believed to have been derived from a combination of foreign words that loosely translated mean, "What Rocks" and was used to describe a defensive wall.

Then, there are the "Nittany" Lions of Penn State. The Penn State mascot was the creation of a senior student in 1907 who visited Princeton and was embarrassed that his school did not have a mascot. On the spot, he created the Nittany Lion as its new mascot and said it was named after the King of the Beasts. The name was readily accepted by the student body without a vote. Mountain lions roamed on nearby Mount Nittany until the 1880's.

We also have the Webster University "Gorloks". Webster University students in St. Louis created this mythical creature and its nickname. The name was a combination of two streets on campus, Gore and Lockwood. They say a Gorlok has the paws of a speeding cheetah, horns of a fierce buffalo and the face of a dependable St. Bernard. A Gorlok embodies the highest standards of speed, agility and stamina in an atmosphere of fairness and good conduct. What could be better than that?

I'm sure readers would find this blog incomplete if it did not deal with the nickname of the teams of The Ohio State University. The state of Ohio adopted the buckeye tree as its state tree because of the prevalence of the buckeye trees in the state. It is called a buckeye because its fruit is the shape and color of a deer's eye. Ohioans have referred to themselves as Buckeyes since 1840. The Ohio State University adopted the "Buckeyes" as its nickname and Brutus Buckeye as its mascot.

I guess these schools didn't want a common name and became creative. Now, you know how the Akron "Zips" and a few other schools got their nicknames.