North Dakota changes
nickname to Fighting Hawks
Published November 19, 2015
Associated Press
Sep 5, 2015; Laramie, WY, USA; A general view of the
North Dakota helmet against the Wyoming Cowboys
at War Memorial Stadium. North Dakota beat
Wyoming 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA
TODAY Sports
Wednesday's news that the University of North Dakota's new nickname would be Fighting Hawks was greeted matterof-factly by some UND players and coaches.
The mascot received 57 percent of the vote compared to 43 percent for Roughriders in the two-name runoff. The new
nickname replaces Fighting Sioux, which was retired by the state Board of Higher Education in 2012 after the NCAA
deemed it "hostile and abusive" and said the school could not host playoff games if it kept the controversial moniker.
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"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 new
heights on a daily basis," President Robert Kelley said of Fighting Hawks.
The endorsements were not quite as rousing inside the athletic department. UND hockey coach Brad Berry and football
coach Bubba Schweigert did not volunteer opinions.
"Obviously it's been a long process and finally here today," Berry said. "I just want to make sure we remain who we are
as far as preparing for our team and dealing with our players."
Schweigert said he and his players have discussed the nickname issue and thought it was best that they focus on
football.
"It really doesn't change anything in our office and how we go about things," Schweigert said. "We have a lot of pride in
our football program. That's what we talk about."
Hockey team captain and UND junior Gage Ausmus said it's "just a nickname," adding he would have "picked something
else" if it were up to him.
The vote was open to people with UND ties, including students, staff and alums, and 27,378 votes were cast.
UND athletic director Brian Faison said the transition to the new name will begin immediately, but could take months to
fully implement. The university will be accepting proposals from companies to design a new logo for use next fall.
The first ballot had five finalists selected by a committee: Fighting Hawks, Roughriders, Nodaks, Sundogs and North
Stars. Some alumni and fans lashed out at the decision to not include the option of no nickname on the final ballot.
Kelley said it wasn't in the best interests of the school to move forward without a new moniker and said the school "will
always be North Dakota."
The NCAA disputed the Fighting Sioux nickname and UND decided to retire it after the school failed to win approval to
keep it from the state's two tribes. State residents voted overwhelmingly in early 2012 to dump the nickname and
American Indian head logo that was first unveiled in the 1930s and redesigned by a Native American UND alumnus in
1999.
Frank Burggraf, a former UND hockey player who led a charge to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname, believes the wishes
of the majority of alumni, fans and Native Americans have been ignored and Wednesday's announcement won't stop his
campaign to bring back the old moniker.
"You can't replace Fighting Sioux no matter how you try," Burggraf said. "This doesn't change the fact that this whole
process has been a debacle."
The selection of a new nickname has cost the school somewhere "in the high $200,000 range," said Susan Walton, UND's
vice president for university and public affairs.
"We understand that that absolutely represents a significant expense," Walton said. "We don't know how much the next
part of the process will cost."