Well the votes are all tallied and the most votes for coolest team nickname went to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Drovers! If I had to coin a quick phrase to capture the allure of the Drover mascot it would be Drovers: The 21st Century Name For Cowboys! As always there’s no need to thank me for these impromptu slogans, just shower me with cash. And you can visit the Drovers athletic site at : http://www.usao.edu/usao-sports/
As the Drovers gallop their way into the Winner’s Circle let’s take a look at the runners up:
In second place were the Ave Maria University Gyrenes and playing on their nickname’s Marine Corps origins I previously came up with a pithy slogan for them, too: Want to compete? Join the Gyrenes!
Their athletics website is: http://www.amuathletics.com/
Third place went to the Bethany College Swedes who in the past few weeks launched a furious “Get out the vote” drive and were only a few votes behind the Gyrenes for second place. Since I don’t have a slogan for the Swedes I’ll go with a cool fact one reader passed along: Under Bethany College football coach Bennie Owen the Swedes defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in 1903 AND 1904! For the Swedes athletics site go here: http://www.bethanyswedes.com/
And in descending order, the placement of the remaining teams from my Top 20 List.
4. Columbia College Fighting Koalas
5. Evergreen State Geoducks
6. Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves
7. Montana Tech Orediggers
8. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds
9. Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers
10. Cal Maritime Keelhaulers
11. Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions
12. Brewton Parker Barons
13. Southwestern College Mound Builders
14. St. Louis College Of Pharmacy Eutectics
15. Trinity Christian Trolls
16. South Carolina-Beaufort Sand Sharks
18. Jamestown College Jimmies
19. UTB-TSC Scorpions
20. Virginia Intermont Cobras
And even though they weren’t on the Top 20 ballot the Rogers State University Hillcats received 4 write-in votes.
Well, it’s been a fun contest! Thanks once again to everyone who voted. Reaction to the Top 20 list and to Balladeer’s Blog in general has been far beyond anything I expected. The administration, students and alumni of these NAIA schools have been great.
I’ll be launching another Top 20 list in a different category soon and if it gets the same response the first one did I’ll open up that one for your votes, too.
Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or any member institutions.
© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Related Articles
- USAO on US News & World Report’s “Best Valued” College List (oklahomawomen.blogspot.com)
- Oklahoma Sooners Season Hinges on O-Line Success (bleacherreport.com)
Balladeer's Blog 
I’m Proud to be a Drover!!!
You and a lot of the other voters! Thanks for commenting!
Woooo Hoooo! Here we go Drovers!!!!
Wow! Drovers fans are certainly enthusiastic! Thanks for reading and if you liked what you saw on my blog here recommend me to your friends. I try to approach this like a sports version of The Onion.
Pingback: THE SWEDE LIFE « Balladeer's Blog