Coolest Team Nicknames in History

The art of the nickname has vanished in the past decade.  Team nicknames almost never catch on and players nicknames often just include a players initials or their name abbreviated (See: KG, T-Mac, D-Wade, A-Rod, LT, T.O., and the list goes on and on).

What's in a great nickname?  

Originality and relevance. 

I don't know if sports writers and people in general were more creative back then, but eras of the past definitely can boast the most memorable nicknames of all-time.

Here are the top 50 coolest team names in sports history.

50. Wrecking Crew

The Texas A&M football team's defense is nicknamed the "Wrecking Crew," though the name is more tradition than representative of play.

49. Gang Green

The New York Jets defense's nickname is "Gang Green," named after the color of their jersey.

48. The Doctors Of Dunk

The Louisville Cardinals basketball team of the early 1980s was nicknamed "The Doctors of Dunk," obviously after their dunking ability.

47. The Boys of Summer

Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s were nicknamed "The Boys of Summer" after the book written about the team by Roger Kahn.

46. Whiz Kids

The Philadelphia Phillies of the early 1950s were nicknamed the "Whiz Kids" because of their multitude of young ball players.

45. Pony Express

The 1979-1980 Southern Methodist talented rushing duo of Eric Dickerson and Craig James earned the nickname the "Pony Express" because of the school's nickname, the Mustangs.

44. The U

The University of Miami's self-proclaimed nickname is "The U," basically saying, "We're the best."

43. The Fiddlin' Five

The 1958 Kentucky Wildcats championship squad was nicknamed "The Fiddlin' Five" by their coach because they tended to "fiddle" early in games.

42. The Rainbow Warriors

Jeff Gordon and his pit crew were nicknamed "The Rainbow Warriors" after the colors of his race car.

41. The Lumber Company

The Pittsburgh Pirates of the early to mid-1970s earned the nickname the "Lumber Company" because of their great hitting ability.

40. The Triplets

"The Triplets" referred to the Dallas Cowboys trio of offensive stars in Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, which dominated the 1990s.

39. Lethal Weapon 3

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball team in the early 1990s had a trio which included Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver nicknamed "Lethal Weapon 3" after the movie series.

38. The Bash Brothers

Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco of the Oakland Athletics were nicknamed the "Bash Brothers" after their home-run hitting ability.

37. Electric Company

The Buffalo Bills offensive line of the mid-1970s was nicknamed the "Electric Company" for leading the way for O.J. Simpson, because they "turned the Juice on".

36. Miracle Mets

The "Miracle Mets" refers to the 1969 New York Mets team that, after years of failure, won their first World Series in their first winning season.

35. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew

The New York Giants defense that won two Super Bowls in the 1980s, led by Lawrence Taylor, was nicknamed the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew."

34. The Nasty Boys

The Cincinnati Reds' trio of relief pitchers which included Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble and Randy Myers were given the nickname the "Nasty Boys" as they helped the team win the 1990 World Series.

33. The Hitless Wonders

The 1906 Chicago White Sox were nicknamed the "Hitless Wonders" after winning the World Series despite batting .230.

32. The Over The Hill Gang

The Washington Redskins of the early 1970s were nicknamed "The Over the Hill Gang" because of how many veterans were on the team.  The average age of a Redskins starter was 31.

31. Legion Of Doom

From 1995 to 1997, a forward line consisting of Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg of the Philadelphia Flyers were nicknamed the "Legion of Doom" because of their physical defense.

30. The Killer B's

The 1982 Dolphins fierce defense was named the "Killer Bs" because of how many players on the defense had a last name that began with a B, including Bob Baumhower, Bill Barnett, Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper, Glenn Blackwood, Charles Bowser, Doug Betters and Bob Brudzinski.

29. Seven Blocks Of Granite

Fordham's offensive lines from 1929-1937 are known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite," nicknamed by school publicist Timothy Cohane after the team went undefeated early in 1936.

28. Black Sox

The Chicago White Sox of 1919 were referred to as the "Black Sox" after throwing the World Series that season.

27. Smurfs

The three Washington Redskins wide receivers in Virgil Seay, Alvin Garrett and Charlie Brown were nicknamed the "Smurfs" after the television show because of their short stature.

26. The Greatest Show On Turf

The St. Louis Rams offense from 1999 to 2001 was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf" while scoring more points in a span of three seasons than any other team in league history.

25. No-Name Defense

During the Miami Dolphins' Super Bowl years of the early 1970s, their defense was nicknamed the "No-Name Defense" because players on their offense received all the attention.

24. Orange Crush

The Broncos defense of the 1970s was nicknamed the "Orange Crush" after the color similarity between their jerseys and the soft drink.

23. Air Coryell

Don Coryell's offense with the San Diego Chargers from 1978-1986 was nicknamed "Air Coryell" after its coach and pass-first approach.

22. Fearsome Foursome

Los Angeles Rams' Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy, Merlin Olson and Deacon Jones made up arguably the most dominant defensive line in NFL history from 1963 to 1967.

21. New York Sack Exchange

The New York Jets defensive line of the early 1980s, which included Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam, was nicknamed "New York Sack Exchange" after leading the NFL in sacks in 1981.

20. Doomsday Defense

The Dallas Cowboys defense of the late 1960s and 1970s was nicknamed the "Doomsday Defense" after leading the franchise to five Super Bowl appearances.

19. Harvey's Wallbangers

After the Milwaukee Brewers led the league in home runs and runs scored in 1982, the squad was nicknamed "Harvey's Wallbangers" after their coach Harvey Kuenn and the alcoholic drink. 

18. Kardiac Kids

The 1980 Cleveland Browns were nicknamed the "Kardiac Kids" because of their habit of playing in an unusual number of games that went down to the wire.

17. America's Team

The Dallas Cowboys were coined "America's Team" by a 1978 NFL Network highlight film.

16. Bronx Bombers

One of the New York Yankees many nicknames is the "Bronx Bombers," inspired by their location and elite hitting ability.

15. Bad Boys

The Detroit Pistons of the 1980s were nicknamed the "Bad Boys" because of their aggressive style of defensive play.

14. Run TMC

In the late 1980s to early 1990s, the Golden State Warriors trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin made up "Run T.M.C.," inspired by the rap group Run D.M.C.

13. The Fab Five

Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson made up Michigan's "Fab Five" after all started as true freshmen in 1991.

12. Showtime

The 1979-1989 Lakers were nicknamed "Showtime" because of Pat Riley's fast-passed offense led by fast-break extraordinaire Magic Johnson.  

11. Broad Street Bullies

The Philadelphia Flyers from 1972-1978 were nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies" after their physical play.

10. The Big Red Machine

"The Big Red Machine" was the nickname given to the Cincinnati Reds from 1970-1976, when they averaged 98 wins a season during that time span.

9. The French Connection

"The French Connection" refers to the Buffalo Sabres line of Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert, who were all French-Canadian.

8. Gashouse Gang

The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals were nicknamed the "Gashouse Gang" due to a dirty appearance.  Not dirty as in vulgar, but dirty as in smelly and unbathed.  

7. The Hogs

The Washington Redskins' offensive line of the 1980s and early 1990s were nicknamed "The Hogs" after offensive line coach Joe Bugel called them hogs one day during training camp.  The group helped pave the way to three Super Bowl titles.

6. Purple People Eaters

The Minnesota Vikings defensive line of the late 1960s to late 1970s was nicknamed the "Purple People Eaters" after their ability to get to the quarterback and the color of their jerseys.

5. Murderers' Row

"Murders' Row" refers to the first six hitters in the New York Yankees batting order, originally in 1918 and more famously in 1927.

4. Monsters Of The Midway

The "Monsters of the Midway" was first used as the Chicago Bears' nickname of the early 1940s, but reemerged for their 1985 Super Bowl team.

3. Four Horsemen

The Notre Dame backfield of the early 1920s, which included Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Ladin, was nicknamed the "Four Horsemen" by sportswriter Grantland Rice.

2. Phi Slamma Jamma

Houston's basketball team from 1982-1984 was nicknamed the "Phi Slamma Jamma" after the "Texas' Tallest Fraternity" and their ability to dunk.

1. Steel Curtain

The "Steel Curtain" was the nickname given to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense of the 1970s while dominating the NFL by winning four Super Bowls.

 

David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist and Writing Intern at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer.  Follow him at One Yard Short.com or on Twitter