The Concordia Cougars

Concordia University teams have gone by the nickname of Cougars since October of 1933. Up until that time, no official nickname was used, and it was common for teams to be referred to as Concordians, Maroons, Foresters, Teachers and/or Pedagogs. Finally, the Oct. 5, 1933 issue of Concordia’s student newspaper, The Spectator, began the process of selecting one official nickname. A ballot was provided for students to suggest three names, with the following guidelines to be taken into consideration: the name should characterize the teams’ fighting qualities, speed, courage and other traits. The name was not to be one already in use by any of the other local schools, and it was to be one that Concordia would always wish to use.

From the 31 names suggested, a second ballot was put together with the three most popular nominations – Cougars, Maroons and Foresters. The results of the vote were printed in the Oct. 19 Spectator, and Cougars was the winner with 223 votes; Maroons came in second with 168, and Foresters finished third with 128.

The many reasons for choosing the Cougar nicknames were summed up in an editorial entitled “The Fighting Cougar” by a member of the Spectator staff:

“The cougar is no piker! He is a powerful mountain-lion; muscular, tireless and sure-footed, he makes a fierce and relentless fighter. He isn’t afraid to tackle some large-sized foes; for he can pull down a full-grown horse if he really wants to. He has the stamina necessary for a severe chase and doesn’t dicker much about whom he tackles either. He’s game. When he makes a charge, it’s time to look out. ‘He can take it’ – and give plenty, too. He is apt to be a dangerous opponent at any time, for he feels right at home under many different conditions. Yes, a worthy namesake for Concordia’s teams he is – this felis cougar.”