With the high school winter sports season heating up, I thought that it would be fun to take a look at some of the most unique Wisconsin high school mascot team names. Wisconsin is a vast state that takes cultures and traditions from a lot of different areas. Each big city in the state is kind of in its own region, giving them the opportunity to control the culture of the region, making a city like La Crosse much different than Green Bay. With these cultures, traditions and histories, many high schools honor that through their high school team names. Of course, other names are just kind of pulled out of left field.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the 24 best Wisconsin high school mascot team names, and then let us know which one is your favorite!
Best Wisconsin High School Team Names
Badger Badgers
The Badger High School Badgers take the Wisconsin moniker “The Badger State” to the next level. I think that there is a fine line between a mascot named after a school and how good the name actually is. Sorry to those who went to UWSP, but the Stevens Point Pointers is just not a great name. The Badger Badgers on the other hand is a funny Wisconsin high school team name and encapsulates a major Wisconsin identity very well.
Wayland Academy Big Red
Located in Beaver Dam, Wayland Academy shares the same mascot as Andy Bernard’s alma mater, Cornell. I have always been a fan of team names that are just a color. Like, it is so hilariously outrageous that instead of “Lions” or “Wildcats” or “Cardinals” someone thought to use “Red.” The addition of “Big” in front makes it that much better, because what the heck is a Big Red? Thanks for making me laugh Wayland Academy. Shout out to Big Red Soda, too.
Kohler Blue Bombers
Another thing that straddles a fine line is putting an adjective in front of the noun in a team name. I know that it is to add a little mustard to the name, but in the University of Alabama’s case, “Crimson” does nothing to enhance “Tide.” There are ways around this, and I think alliteration is a big one. Bombers by itself is an awesome name, but when you add in Blue, it adds that extra level of oomph.
Washburn Castle Guards
Located way up north on Lake Superior, Washburn, WI calls its high school the Castle Guards. When I hear Castle Guards, I immediately think of the classic scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Launching the animals over the castle wall is close to peak comedy, and I like to think that is how Washburn greets any opposing school that pulls into the high school’s parking lot. Washburn has a connection with France, as Claude-Jean Allouez founded the city, which ties this scene and the school together even better. Shoutout to Washburn for being the only school in the state that could have a direct correlation with a Monty Python scene.
Monroe Cheesemakers
Everyone knows that cheese is massive in Wisconsin. What everyone may not know though is that Monroe, WI is “The Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA.” Talk about an awesome city nickname. I love that Monroe High School falls in line with that moniker.
Let’s not use an easy name. Instead, let’s use such a niche name that it has to be a good one. Monroe did just that. Paying homage to the strong cheese tradition in Wisconsin gets extra points in my book. They did a good job too of not including “Swiss” in the name. While swiss cheese is fine, nobody is getting excited over it.
What is your favorite cheese? Let me know in the comments below. Mine is extra sharp cheddar.
Cuba City Cubans
Cuba City was originally founded in 1836 and was named Yuba City. After realizing that there was already a Wisconsin settlement using that name, the Y switched to a C.
Cuba City Cubans is such a hilariously outrageous name for one reason. According to the 2010 census, 99.1% of Cuba City residents are white. Only 0.5% are of Hispanic or Latino descent. There are little-to-no Cubans in Cuba City, and that is what makes this name great. If you are going to name a team something that has nothing to do with the culture or traditions of your area, you need to make it stick out. The Cuba City Cubans mastered that here.
Siren Dragons
While this name is not that unique, like the Cheesemakers or the Castle Guards, Dragons in general are undoubtedly cool mythical beasts. Huge flying lizards that breathe fire are probably one of the most intimidating creatures to be thought of. After watching both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, I am certain that everyone will agree with me.
Siren High School is located in the Northwestern part of the state. To me, the Northwestern part of the state is something of a mythical realm, because what the heck actually happens up there? Maybe there are actual dragons there, but I am not going to take the drive up. Who knows what is lurking in those forests?
Lancaster Flying Arrows
Back to my adjective rant. “Flying” here totally enhances Arrows to the next level. Imagine if a team was just named the Arrows. That would suck, but flying arrows gives the implication that these arrows are flying right at you. While it’s not greatly intimidating, it is for sure unique and that is a plus. It would be awesome if the school district could somehow get Jeremy Renner to appear at a big game wearing his Hawkeye costume.
Oostburg Flying Dutchmen
I know that I am not the only one who thought of the Flying Dutchman from SpongeBob Squarepants when reading this name. The name, of course, derives from the mythical Flying Dutchman ghost ship. While the Flying Dutchman is not real, it certainly is a fun story. I think that is due to the idea that it could actually be real. Who really knows what happens in the oceans? Anyways, the legend goes that if you see the ghost ship while at sea, you will experience bouts of impending doom. I am sure that is what Oostburg teams want as they prepare for a game.
Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts
Once again, the alliteration works wonders here. If Kaukauna was just called the “Kaukauna Ghosts”, that would still be cool, but not nearly as much as with the describing word. Galloping is also such a unique adjective that I think it works here. I think that with the emergence of Jordan McCabe in High School, Galloping Ghosts became famous throughout the country and the appeal of Galloping Ghosts grew. The city may smell really bad, due to the paper mill, but there is no denying how interesting the statue is outside of Kaukauna High School.
Beaver Dam Golden Beavers
As I alluded to before, there is a fine line when using a color as a descriptive word. If it is not alliteration like Kohler, then it can look and sound awkward. I think the exception to that though is using the color gold. Using golf to describe anything elicits a feeling and thought of royalty. The Beavers being the mascot for Beaver Dam also makes me laugh, as Beavers are unquestionably cool animals. An animal with big bucked teeth that creates its home with its tail is pretty cool, but picturing them as solid gold animals is that much cooler.
Watertown Goslings
The Watertown Goslings say that a “Gosling” is a duck. In fact, their logo is that of a duck wearing a sweater with a W on it. While ducks are okay animals, I like to think that Goslings has to do with A-list celebrity Ryan Gosling. Being one of the most popular actors currently, I would imagine that when others hear Goslings they will think of Ryan. This would be another great opportunity to get a big-time actor out to the high school. Just don’t let him play corner in football, as we have seen how that has gone in the past.
Rhinelander Hodags
Let’s move to one of the best team names in all of the United States, much less among Wisconsin high school mascots, the Rhinelander Hodags. For those who don’t know what a Hodag is, it is a mythical creature in American Folklore that has a frog head, elephant face, short legs with claws, the back of a dinosaur and a long tail with spikes. Wow, talk about a scary animal. For more information about this, you can listen to the I Don’t Think So podcast, which is a show in our FlurrySports family.
Anyways, that creature was supposed to have been found in Rhinelander. Anything with a strange background that lives on in legend is an automatic win in book for a team name. Considering that it is even hard to picture the creature, based off of my description, I think that Hodag brings a little bit of an unknown. “What is a Hodag and what should we expect from students of a high school with said mascot?” – teams playing Rhinelander, probably.
Hayward Hurricanes
In what is probably the most unrealistic team name for a Wisconsin high school mascot, the Hayward Hurricanes had to make this list. Hayward is located in the Northwest part of the state. A part of the country that is nowhere near any water source that could create a hurricane. While researching why the school’s name is the Hurricanes, I could not find any information. In fact, the city’s Wikipedia page does not even contain the word hurricane. Wisconsin does not have many natural disasters, so to have one as your team name is… something.
Hurricanes confuses me, but I am not ready to call it a bad name, due to its uniqueness. Since the city is on the Namekagon River, maybe a name like the “Hayward Small Splashes” would be a more realistic name.
Kettle Moraine Lasers
Out of all of the team names on this list, Lasers is undoubtedly my favorite. While it does not seem scary or intimidating at first, if you think about it, Lasers should have some intimidating features to them. For one, it could be a sniper that has you in their scope. For two, it could be a James Bond-type laser that will saw you in half. And for three, it could be frickin sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their frickin heads.
All in all, the Kettle Moraine School District has some of the best schools in the state in both academics and athletics. While I would prefer that Lasers would be used for a poor-performing school, the uniqueness alone is what makes it one of the best.
Wabeno Logrollers
Wabeno is one of the small rural towns that you drive through when heading to Upper Michigan on U.S. Highway 41. Located in the Northern part of the state, Wabeno has strong ties to the logging industry that exploded in Wisconsin. Being a sucker for a team name that honors the history of the area, I love this team name. I also like how the school didn’t go with the unoriginal Lumberjacks. Logrollers is cool because it is unique, but it also literally describes how logs used to be moved. Good job Wabeno, my hat is off to you.
Elk Mound Mounders
Elk Mound is located just outside of Eau Claire and has the odd name of Mounders. The name of the village can trace its roots back to the oddly shaped foothill that residents call “Mound Hill” which used to be home to elk. The foothill, which now features a tower overlook on top, was shaped oddly due to the glacial movements in the ice age, though there are many non-scientific rumors about the hill, including a dragon being buried underneath.
Anyways, the name “Mounders” is definitely interesting and unique, especially when you add that they were named after a village that was named after a hill. While Elk Mound Mounders is confusing enough, the rabbit hole goes deeper when you consider that the Glenwood City Hilltoppers used to compete in the same conference.
Oakfield Oaks
See Badger Badgers.
Eau Claire Memorial Old Abes
There is obviously history surrounding the Old Abes name. Many people think or thought that the school based the name on Abraham Lincoln, which is kind of true. During the Civil War, a captain led a group of men from Eau Claire that used an Eagle as their mascot. That Eagle’s name? Old Abe, after Lincoln. I do not know about you, but the Civil War is a really interesting time to go back and read about what the country was like for me. To pay homage to one of the most difficult and important eras of our country is a pretty cool thing in my book. What is even cooler than the name is that, apparently, the Confederacy had a bounty on Old Abe’s head. That’s pretty badass if you ask me.
Ashland Oredockers
In 1946, the Ashland School District made the correct decision to drop the nickname “Purgolders.” First of all, combining your colors into a name is a horrible idea and it never sounds good. I am looking at you, UW-Eau Claire. Anyways, Ashland eventually changed its name to the Oredockers, after a local columnist said that all he saw in Ashland was ore docks.
Located near Washburn, Ashland can trace its history and legacy to that of the trade on Lake Superior. Ore was obviously one of the biggest movers in the area. Once again, it is a pretty cool throwback to the history surrounding the area. Ore, for those who don’t know, is basically a rock with precious metal in it. Here is my power ranking for metals…
- Gold
- Heavy Metal Rock
- Tungsten
- Metal Straws
- The Steel Curtain (1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers Defense)
Oconomowoc Raccoons
Raccoons are such a unique animal in regards to being a mascot. In the rodent family, we do not really hear much for sports. There are no rats, no mice — in fact, the closest thing that we have is probably the Oregon State Beavers. Raccoons are their own kind of beast. Whether it be congregating in a dumpster or chasing someone on a college campus (I have seen this before), raccoons are wildcards. While it is not the most intimidating mascot, the name Raccoon still brings a pause to those who hear it. Also, a shoutout to Rocket Raccoon, the best member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Saint Anthony Roman Legion
Saint Anthony has one of the best team names in all of the United States of America. Roman Legion is such a cool, historic name. When you hear Roman Legion, the thought comes to mind of hundreds of soldiers dressed in gold marching towards you. It makes any person shiver in their boots. Located in Milwaukee, Saint Anthony shares the theme of the thought with its colors consisting of crimson and gold. Since the schools began classes in just 2009, there is a lot of legacy for the Roman Legion to be created. If the sports teams perform anywhere near the level of the actual Roman Legion, nobody in Wisconsin stands a chance.
Manitowoc Lincoln Ships
This is another team name that plays upon the landscape and the history of its area. Manitowoc is located on Lake Michigan and has a rich nautical history. The city was the original home of the Manitowoc Company, which grew from building ships. Burger Boat Company is also headquartered in Manitowoc, a yacht-building company that produces luxury boats. With the most important part of any community being the school, Manitowoc Lincoln had to use something related to the water. I like Ships too, not only because it honors the tradition, but what else are you going to call the team? There is nothing in Lake Michigan that is anything close to intimidating. What are they going to call themselves, “The Manitowoc Lincoln Snapping Turtles?” Yeah, right.
Clintonville Truckers
Trucking is a foundational part of not only Wisconsin but the country as a whole. Living in Green Bay, whenever I see an enormous semi-truck rip through a blizzard at 80 MPH, it baffles me. Driving is a dangerous thing, right? There are millions of people going 70 MPH in two-ton death traps. There is only one person that is predictable when driving, and that is yourself. You know when someone cuts you off on the highway and you have to swerve outside of the lines to avoid being hit? Imagine if that happened to you while driving a semi.
Truckers deserve respect and I love that Clintonville uses the name. Northcentral Wisconsin is where you would go to see trucks and truckers, which is right where Clintonville High School is.
That’s it for our list, but let us know if there was a name you think we wrongfully left off! Also, which of these Wisconsin High School mascot names is your favorite?
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