ACC Background Checks: The Origin of Every Team's Nickname and Mascot

Blue Devils? Tar Heels? Demon Deacons?

Some nicknames in college athletics sound ridiculous, but there is, in fact, some reasoning behind why they were chosen.

The Atlantic Coastal Conference certainly isn't lacking in the area of odd names, but most have a logical explanation.

For those of you who were wondering, here are the origins of each ACC college's nickname.

Note: If you are interested in NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB nicknames, check out my profile for the articles.

Boston College Eagles

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 11: Baldwin, the Boston College Eagles mascot, performs with the cheerleaders during the second half in the quarterfinals of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2011 in Greensboro, North

BC's nickname originated from the American bald eagle, which is also their mascot.

His name is Baldwin the Eagle, derived from the words bald and win. You never would've thought...

Clemson Tigers

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 12: The Clemson Tigers mascot performs during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the semifinals of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2011 in Greensboro, North Caro

Football coach Walter Riggs came to Clemson in 1896, and gave the team the name the Tigers because he had always admired the Princeton Tigers.

Clemson's mascot is known simply as "The Tiger".

Duke Blue Devils

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 11: The mascot for the Duke Blue Devils performs during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins in the quarterfinals of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2011 in Greensboro, Nort

A French Alpine light infantry batallion, the Chasseurs Alpins, was nicknamed the Blue Devils during World War I because its men wore blue.

Other possibilities were considered for Duke's nickname including Blue Titans, Blue Eagles, Polar Bears, Royal Blazes, and Blue Warriors because the team's uniforms were also blue.

The mascot was intended to portray patriotism, not devils and evil.

Florida St. Seminoles

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TALLAHASSEE, FL - SEPTEMBER 05: FSU mascot Chief Osceola and his horse Renegade of the Florida State Seminoles pumps up the crowd to start the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Doak Campbell Stadium on September 5, 2005 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Phot

In 1947, the nickname was selected by students as a tribute to the Native American tribe, the Seminoles.

Chief Osceola is the mascot and he is often seen riding his horse, Renegade.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 10: Buzz, the mascot for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, performs during the first half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first round of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on Marc

Fans would often wear yellow jackets to sporting events at the college, thus the nickname was born.

The Yellow Jackets have two official mascots, Buzz, who is a yellowjacket at basketball games, and the Ramblin' Wreck, which is a 1930 Ford that leads the football team on to the field.

Maryland Terrapins

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 10: Testudo, the mascot for the Maryland Terrapins, is seen during the first half of the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the first round of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on Ma

The school's newspaper was called The Diamondback. Diamondback terrapins are a turtle species native to the Chesapeake Bay.

Harry Byrd, the football team's coach in 1932, coined the nickname because his hometown was famous for the large amounts of terrapins that covered its shores.

The team's mascot is Testudo the Terrapin.

Miami Hurricanes

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 10: Sebastian the Ibis, the mascot for the University of Miami, performs during the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro C

It is said the team's nickname originated from a devastating hurricane in 1926 that postponed football for a month.

Miami's mascot is Sebastian the Ibis. According to legend, the ibis is the last animal to flee an approaching hurricane and the first to reappear after it has passed through.

North Carolina Tar Heels

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 19: Rameses, mascot of the North Carolina Tar Heels, cheers against the Radford Highlanders during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 19, 2009 in Greensboro, North

Tar Heel is a nickname for the state of North Carolina and its inhabitants.

The colony was an important source of tar and pitch to the British navy. Later, tar became one of the state's chief exports because it was home to vast pine forests.

Another legend is that, because North Carolina was an important Confederate state during the Civil War, the troops "stuck to their ranks like they had tar on their heels".

Rameses the Bighorn Ram is UNC's mascot. The mascot idea was inspired by star fullback, Jack Merritt, in 1922 because he was nicknamed "the battering ram".

North Carolina St. Wolfpack

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DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 17: The NC State Wolfpack mascot, Mr. Wuf, cheers on his team during the game against the California Golden Bears in the First Round of the 2006 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship Tournament on March 17, 2006 at the Ameri

The nickname originated when the team's student section was described as a misbehaved wolfpack.

Mr. and Mrs. Wuf are the Wolfpack's two mascots.

Virginia Tech Hokies

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 10: The Hokie Bird, mascot of the Virginia Tech Hokies, performs during the first half of the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first round of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on

While some may believe it is a castrated turkey, the word "Hokie" was part of a chant that O.M. Stull created for a competition in 1896. The competition was held to determine a new spirit yell for Virginia Tech.

The team was originally known as the Fighting Gobblers, which is why their mascot is a turkey named HokieBird.

Virginia Cavaliers

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 10: The Cavalier Mascot performs during the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2011 in Greensboro

Virginia was a hotspot for those loyal to England during the English civil war. These loyalist were known as cavaliers.

The team's mascot is a mounted swordsman, or a cavalier, called CavMan.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

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WINSTON SALEM, NC - JANUARY 22: A general view of the mascot of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Lawrence Joel Coliseum on January 22, 2011 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty I

Wake Forest was originally associated with the Baptist Convention and its teams were known as the Fighting Baptists.

In 1923, after a big win over Duke, a sportswriter wrote that they played "like demons" and the Demon Deacons nickname caught on.