Name-a-Day Calendar, January 12: Delaware State Hornets
Page 67 of 365
Chosen in: Mid- to late 1920s
Chosen by: Unknown
I really wish I had more on this one. I tried to get in contact with Delaware State University’s archives a few weeks ago but I never got a response.
I am fairly certain that this team has never gone by any official nickname but “Hornets”. The school started playing intercollegiate sports in 1924 and they were already regularly called the Hornets in the media by the early 1930s. The earliest reference to the name I could find was in The State College Lantern from June 1929 (a picture of the football team is captioned “State College Hornets—Varsity Team”) but it is, of course, possible that the name was coined somewhat earlier.
Delaware State has used several costumed hornet mascots over the years. Their current mascot, introduced in 2012, is named Too Fly.
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