Name-a-Day Calendar, April 15: Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks
Page 160 of 365
Chosen in: 1948
Chosen by: Public relations director Charles C. Jacobs, assisted by running back John Mitchell and defensive end Leonard Cisco
Many schools were deliberate in choosing their athletic identities, but the University of Maryland Eastern Shore was certainly not one of them.
It’s a funny story, actually. At some point in 1948, two football players — running back John Mitchell and defensive end Leonard Cisco — were just chilling on campus when school public relations director Charles C. Jacobs rushed toward them in distress. The reason: the local papers wanted to call their football team the Fishermen, and Jacobs just couldn’t have that.
The three men just started spouting out possible nicknames, throwing several at the wall in hopes that one would stick, but nothing inspired them. Then Jacobs remembered that the scoreboard at the football field had two symbols on it: a galea1 on the visitor’s side and a bird on the home side. He asked what kind of bird was on the scoreboard and Cisco said it was a hawk.
Some more contemplation followed, then Jacobs exited to alert the media: the team was to be called the Hawks. The papers listened and the nickname became official.
Maryland Eastern Shore has since cycled through a few costumed hawk mascots, but their most prominent mascot is a nine-foot-tall inflatable hawk known as Big Harry.
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Roman soldier helmet
why was there a bird on the scoreboard for a team without a name? The hell?