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What's in a name?

Apparently, quite a bit. Just ask the athletics director at any of the more than 800 high schools in Ohio about the nickname of his or her school, and the response likely will include least one of the following words: history, tradition, pride, identity or distinction.

And to those involved in the selection process, choosing a nickname, mascot and team logo is not a trivial matter.

"Choosing the right nickname is very important," said Tom Davis, the superintendent of the Osnaburg Local School District in Stark County and girls basketball coach at East Canton High School. "You have to carefully think (your choice) through because you want to make sure that the people of the community will respect it and enjoy it. A lot of people associate themselves with a school through the nickname. And if they don't like the nickname, that could affect how much they support the school."

In most cases, the selection process goes as follows: A committee, which often includes students, is formed to suggest, research and debate nickname possibilities. The committee narrows its list of choices and either selects the name itself or lets the student body vote for its favorite. The selected name then goes before the school board for approval.

"I think a school's nickname can be real important because it's an identity," Hilliard Darby athletics director Barry Bay said. "When you first open a school, you want people to become connected with the school as quickly as possible, and the nickname helps make that connection."

According to Bay, who was an assistant principal when Darby opened in the fall of 1997, one of the names the school's committee considered was Huskies. But perhaps fearing that people in the community would think that Darby and its sister school, Hilliard Davidson, whose nickname is Wildcats, would "fight like cats and dogs" when facing each other in athletic events, school officials decided to go with the name Panthers.

"The school district decided that it would be better to keep all the schools in the cat family," Bay said.

The district's three middle schools are Wildcats, Panthers and Jaguars.

Dublin also has maintained a common theme, but almost to a fault. According to Dublin Scioto athletics director Kip Witchey, school officials considered having the same nickname for both Scioto, which opened in the fall of 1995, and the first school in the community, which is now called Dublin Coffman.

"We originally decided that we wanted to keep identifying the schools under one mascot," said Witchey, whose school is the Irish while Coffman is the Shamrocks. "But then we got to thinking about how confusing it would be to everyone and decided against it."

Had Dublin school officials gone with their initial idea, the confusion would have increased next school year with the opening of the district's third school, Dublin Jerome. Incidentally, Jerome will be called the Celtics.

Pickerington school officials applied the same rationale as Hilliard in selecting the nickname for Pickerington North, which opened this school year. Given the fact that the first school in the district, now called Pickerington Central, is known as the Tigers, school officials decided to keep the moniker for North in the cat family and chose the name Panthers.

And according to the OHSAA, Panthers is the most popular nickname among its 824 members. Darby, Pickerington North, Licking Valley and Linden are among the 36 schools that share that name.

The second-most popular nickname is Tigers (34), followed in the top 10 by Wildcats (33), Bulldogs (31), Eagles (30), Indians (25), Warriors (24), Vikings (19), Falcons (16) and Trojans (16). Eagles does not include six schools nicknamed Golden Eagles and two named Fighting Eagles. Otherwise, Eagles would be the state's most popular mascot.

The fact that five of the most popular nicknames are the names of wild, predatory animals does not come as a surprise to David Baron, the author of the book "The Beast in the Garden: A Modern Parable of Man and Nature."

"People have an inherent fascination with not just wild animals, but particularly with wild animals that sit one link higher than us on the food chain," said Baron, a former science correspondent for National Public Radio and three-time recipient of the American Association for the Advancement of Science journalism award.

"And that's natural because for most of our evolutionary past, we had to live with these animals and one of our greatest fears as human beings was being eaten. ... We humans have a very complicated relationship with large predators. We dread these animals and yet we respect them. We hate them and yet we really want to be like them. We admire them."

Dr. Dennis Heitzmann, a sports psychologist at Penn State University, shares Baron's theory.

"I think it's got to do with the tenacity and fight within the animal kingdom in its rarest sense," Heitzmann said.

"That spirit and attitude is what schools want to be perceived as having. ... Years ago, schools said, 'Let's think of the most fiercest and tenacious animals we can think of and go with that as our name.'

"When it comes to athletic competition, those names and the spirit and attitude that go along with those names are socially acceptable."

But can a school's nickname strike fear into an opponent on an athletic field? Probably not.

"It's no longer intimidating, if it ever was," Heitzmann said. "It's kind of a wash. You know, it's 'my' lions against 'your' tigers. The names cancel each other out.

"Most names become overused and trivialized in terms of having a deeper meaning. Our Nittany Lion, for example, is playful, funny and docile. I don't think other schools are worried because they have to play the Nittany Lions. What's more likely to strike fear into an opponent is a high-powered offense."

According to the OHSAA, 129 schools have a nickname that no other school shares. And behind many of those unique nicknames, there is an interesting story.

Take, for example, Sarahsville Shenandoah. The school's name and its nickname, the Zeps, come from the U.S.S. Shenandoah, a 680-foot dirigible that crashed Sept. 3, 1925 in Noble County, killing 14 of its 43 passengers and crew. According to witnesses, the Naval airship, which was the first American-built zeppelin, was struck by lightning.

"It's not as famous as the Hindenburg, but it has special meaning in this rural community," Shenadoah athletics director Dan Wesson said. "There's a monument where it crashed. ... I would think that most of (the students) know about it from their moms and dads, who learned about it from their parents."

Chillicothe Unioto got its nickname, the Sherman Tanks, from the fact that the school sits on land once occupied by Camp Sherman, a U.S. Army training camp during World War I. The camp and the U.S. Army's main tank in World War II were named after William Tecumseh Sherman, who served as a Union commander during the Civil War and led a charge on Atlanta that helped the Union take control of the war.

"This is an historical area, so I'm sure (the students) know about (the origin of the nickname)," said Dwight Garrett, the superintendent of the Union-Scioto Local School District. "It's also in their student handbooks."

For the last five years, a tank has been sitting in front of Unioto's main entrance.

"It's not a Sherman Tank, though," Garrett said. "They're not produced anymore and they are such a rarity these days that you would never be able to get one. Our tank came from Fort Knox (near Radcliff, Ky.). It used to guard the gold at Fort Knox and now it guards the purple and gold of Unioto High School."

History also seems to have played a major role in the nickname chosen by Cleveland Glenville, which calls itself the Tarblooders.

"There are several versions to how we got that name, but the one I like has to do with the bringing about of the Glenville community," Glenville athletics director Gretchen Taylor said. "The railroad had a lot to do with the development of the community, and those railroads were built by members of the community. The name refers to all of the blood and sweat and all of the steel and tar that went into putting down the tracks.

"We love our nickname. It's a unique name; no one else has it. And we think it represents us well because we're pretty rough and tough."

Many unique nicknames have spawned from a local industry. Among the examples are the Ceramics of Crooksville, the Potters of East Liverpool, the Electrics of Philo and the Truckers of Norwalk.

Norwalk, which is located about 50 miles west of Cleveland, has had a variety of nicknames. Until it became known as the Truckers in 1952, it went by the names Maple Leaves, Pilots, Phantoms and Raiders.

Truckers was derived from the Norwalk Truck Lines, which shipped produce from Huron County farmers and other freight to all of Ohio and other states, primarily in the Midwest. Because the trucking company provided hundreds of jobs to residents in Norwalk and Huron County, the community became known as a "trucker town."

Philo's nickname came from a General Electric power plant that was once located in the small town about five miles southeast of Zanesville.

"The town was built around a power plant in the mid-'30s," Philo athletics director Michael Ryan said. "It generated a lot of jobs and produced electricity for this area. The power plant closed about 20 years ago, so most of the kids probably don't know where our name comes from. We've had that name for a long time."

Several schools based their nicknames -- and often the names of the schools themselves -- on people of historical distinction. Unioto falls into that category, as does Cleveland Jane Addams (Executives), Cleveland John Marshall (Lawyers), Marion Harding (Presidents) and Milan Edison (Chargers).

Jane Addams played an integral role in the passage of the federal child labor law in 1916 and the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920 and served on the executive board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 for her work as president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

John Marshall served as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in the early 1800s, and Marion is the birthplace of Warren G. Harding, who served as President of the United States from 1921-23. Milan is the birthplace of Thomas Edison, who is among the greatest inventors in U.S. history, with his most famous invention being the electric lamp.

Perhaps the school with the strangest origin for its nickname is South Webster, which is called the Jeeps.

"People up north think we're named after an automobile, but we're not," said South Webster athletics director Brett Roberts, whose school is located in Scioto County about 80 miles south of Columbus. "There's actually a complicated story behind it. It's not something you can explain in 30 seconds."

In 1940, high-school basketball coaches were not permitted to talk to their players during a game. Coaching only could be done before the game or at halftime. Legend has it that South Webster's boys coach at the time ignored the rule and sent written instructions -- containing answers to the problems being presented by the opposing team -- to his players in a water box that was wheeled onto the court when play was stopped between the first and second quarter and the third and fourth quarter.

One of the most popular comic strips during that era was "Popeye," which included a character called "Eugene the Jeep." The small, long-nosed creature helped Popeye solve many difficult situations, just like, according to legend, South Webster's coach.

The late mayor of South Webster, Gilbert Havener, is credited as being the first person to label the water box as the "Jeep Box." From there, local sportswriters began referring to the school as the Jeeps.

Because South Webster did not have an official nickname at the time, the nickname stuck, but it still has not been officially adopted by the school.

"I think the kids like it," Roberts said. "I've never heard them say they wished we were the Wildcats or Tigers like everyone else. I think the kids like it and the community likes it because we're one of a kind."

Locally, Mifflin probably has the most unusual nickname. Its nickname began as the Cowpunchers but was shortened to Punchers more than 20 years ago.

"Cowpuncher is a nickname for a cowboy, and years ago Mifflin was a (rural) school in the Mifflin Township School District," said Mike Rotonda, the director of student activities for Columbus Public Schools and a former assistant principal at Mifflin. "In the late '60s or early '70s, Mifflin was annexed by Columbus Public Schools. The new school was built around '78 and it was soon after the new school opened that 'cow' was dropped from the name. I guess the kids didn't like that so much.

"I doubt there are many people who knew they originally were called the Cowpunchers. And I doubt the ones who do know that was the original name know why."

Other area schools with unique nicknames include Africentric Secondary (Nubians), Centennial (Stars), Columbus School for Girls (Unicorns), Delaware (Pacers), DeSales (Stallions), Fredericktown (Freddies), Granville (Blue Aces), Groveport (Cruisers), Independence (76ers), Johnstown (Johnnies), Lancaster (Golden Gales), Marion Harding (Presidents), Marysville (Monarchs) and Washington Court House (Blue Lions).

Worthington Kilbourne's nickname also is unique, to a degree. It is the only school named the Wolves, although Dayton Nicholas-Liberty calls itself the Runnin' Wolves.

"(A school's nickname) is something you should be proud of," said Kilbourne senior Danny Newman, a member of the school's hockey team. "It's very special being the Wolves. We have a neat nickname and a neat logo. It's a wolf with big teeth. And for homecoming and stuff like that, we paint the windows in the cafeteria with the wolf crushing a boat with its big teeth if we're playing a 'Pirate' team or something like that."

Central Ohio residents may find it interesting that there is one school nicknamed the Blue Jackets (New Riegel) and one named the Buckeyes (Nelsonville-York). And, although the name is not unique, there are three schools in the state who dare to call themselves the Wolverines (Dayton Dunbar, Cleveland Lincoln West, Chesterland West Geauga).

Spectators at athletic events at East Canton hear the school's fans cheering for the Hornets. Unless it's a girls basketball game, in which case it's the Wizards.

It seems that many people outside the Canton area have trouble comprehending why East Canton -- whose girls basketball team calls itself the Wizards while the rest of its athletic teams go by the name Hornets -- has two nicknames.

"We've got two nicknames and two mascots," Davis said. "Yes, it confuses some people, but it's become a tradition. The girls (on the basketball team) enjoy being the Wizards and the people of the community seem to enjoy it. I think it will be around for a while."

The tradition began more than a quarter of a century ago.

"In 1977, our yearbook had a Wizard of Oz theme," Davis said. "Just for fun, the boys and girls (basketball) teams started calling themselves the Wizards of Oz. The boys got tired of it after a few years but the girls still like being called the Wizards.

"A lot of people think that the Wizards is the name of all of our girls teams, but it's only the girls basketball team. Often at events such as a track meet, the announcer will call the girls the Wizards and they get upset and yell, 'We're not the Wizards.'"

The only other school in Ohio that officially is known by two nicknames is Cincinnati Madeira. Its boys teams are called the Mustangs and its girls teams are called the Amazons.

"In the early to mid-'70s, our girls volleyball and basketball teams were doing quite well, and legend has it that some of the boys in the school tried to demean what they were doing by calling them the Amazons," Madeira athletics director Joe Kimling said. "The girls kind of took it and ran with it.

"According to folklore, an Amazon is a one-breasted archery warrior woman. That makes it hard to have a mascot or a logo, so we don't have a mascot and we just have the word 'Amazons' encased in a circle as our logo."

Although the word Amazon usually is used in a derogatory manner, it doesn't seem as though Madeira will part with the nickname anytime soon.

"When I was hired 18 months ago, I was told that the quickest way out of town was to try to change that nickname," Kimling said.

A central Ohio squad also has a different nickname from the rest of the school's sports. Grove City's football team is referred to as the Dawgs although the nickname isn't officially recognized by the school. The team was renamed by former coach Brian Cross when he took over in 1987. The name stands for "Defense Always Wins Games."

Centuries before Ohio was granted statehood in 1803, its land was inhabited by numerous Indian tribes, including the Chippewa, Erie, Miami, Mingo, Mohawk and Seneca.

According to the OHSAA, there are 88 high schools that have a nickname that represents the history of Native Americans in Ohio. The names Indians and Warriors are among the most popular nicknames in the state, with 25 schools having the former and 24 schools having the latter.

The other names associated with Native Americans and their history are Redskins (12), Braves (10), Redmen (six), Mohawks (four), Chieftains (three), Apaches (one), Chipps (one) Seminoles (one) and Senecas (one). Chipps is short for Chippewa and is the nickname of Doylestown Chippewa, which is located in Wayne County.

Though it's doubtful that any of the schools who have the aforementioned nicknames intended to degrade Native Americans, many people, especially those of Native American descent, find some of the names to be offensive.

The two nicknames that have come under fire the most on a national scale are Redskins and Redmen.

On Oct. 2, a federal judge ruled that the NFL's Washington Redskins were allowed to keep their nickname as a result of not finding sufficient evidence to deduce that the nickname is degrading to Native Americans.

Spurred by protests, Miami University changed its nickname from Redskins to RedHawks in 1997 and St. John's University in New York changed its nickname from Redmen to Red Storm in 1994.

According to Utica athletics director Howard Hill, his school has not heard any complaints about its Redskins nickname. Nor does the school intend to change its nickname.

"We believe that the name 'Redskins' represents pride," Hill said. "We've had that nickname for many, many years and we're very proud of it."

Perhaps the school in Ohio that has experienced the most backlash over its nickname is Akron East, which calls itself the Orientals.

In recent years, members of the Asian Services in Action (ASIA) group have protested the name and have asked Sylvester Small, the superintendent of Akron Public Schools, and school officials at Akron East to change the nickname, but to no avail.

Phone calls seeking comment from Small and Akron East athletics director Ed Garcia were not returned, but a school official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that Orientals is in reference to the fact that the school is located in the "far east" part of the school district.

The OHSAA acknowledges that some nicknames fall short of political correctness, but it has no plans to enforce its members to meet certain nickname guidelines.

"We do not to get involved with that," OHSAA assistant commissioner Bob Goldring said.

"We allow that to be decided by each school district. That's not our decision."