Name-a-Day Calendar, March 3: Idaho State Bengals

Page 117 of 365

Chosen in: 1927

Chosen by: Director of physical education Ralph Hutchinson

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Founded as the Academy of Idaho in 1901, the school now known as Idaho State University began playing football the next year. Their first teams were often called the Bantams but the name never truly gained popular acceptance and was hardly official. In fact, the 1908 baseball team disliked the name so much that they rebelled and called themselves the Tigers. Fun coincidence.

In 1920, Princeton alum Ralph Hutchinson took over the school’s athletic department. The teams were still mostly called the Bantams, but even he got tired of that eventually. In 1927, he switched the school’s mascot to Princeton’s Bengal tiger and called the teams the Bengals.

Bengals aren’t native to Idaho, but Idaho State Bengals sure are! Their costumed mascot is named Benny.

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