Name-a-Day Calendar, December 25: Chicago State Cougars

Page 49 of 365

Chosen in: 1967

Chosen by: The athletics department

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Little is published about the history of Chicago State University. We know it was founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, underwent a few transitional name changes over the next century to become Chicago State College in 1967 and Chicago State University in 1971, and in the 50+ years since has been the focal point of a transition from a primarily white institution to a largely minority student body, providing education to underserved communities as one of the few degree-granting institutions on Chicago’s South Side.

If we thought we knew little about the school, though, we know even less about the mascot. “Cougars” is pretty standard fare all over the country. We’ve seen it with Brigham Young, Houston, Washington State, and dozens of smaller colleges nationwide. Based on my research, I believe that when the school transitioned to their name as Chicago State College in 1967 and joined the NAIA, they picked Cougars as an alliterative nickname. They’ve kept it ever since, with the most major alterations being a modernization of the Cougar head logo and a slight tinting of the green shade.

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