Minnesotans choose clever alliteration over a past president in their mascot rankings
There is no question that Minnesota has its fair share of one-of-a-kind mascots. According to the general public, the state’s best is named in honor of a clever wordplay connected to the town’s name.
As noted by USA Today, the Winona (Mn.) High Winhawks were overwhelmingly selected as the best mascot in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Clearly the Winhawks are a play on the town’s name, honoring both Winona and the hawks that flutter around the area.
The Winhawks name is clever, but it’s not exactly revolutionary. Still, it was creative enough to inspire voters to choose the Winhawks overwhelmingly when compared to the state’s other stand-out school monikers.
Does it really deserve to be the best? You’ll have to decide yourself after reading about them below.
Other Great Minnesota Mascots of Note:
The Winhawks may be solid, but it’s awfully hard to argue with the Minneapolis (Mn.) Roosevelt High Teddies. There’s no question where the Teddies name comes from, with the school itself named after legendary U.S. President and environmentalist Theodore Roosevelt, whose name was appropriated for the original teddy bear by toy makers.
They may not sound fierce, but the Teddies bear an incredibly clever nickname.
The Jordan (Mn.) High Hubmen weren’t named after a preponderance of hub caps, but they are related to the transportation industry. Rather, Jordan was considered the “hub” of the Scott County, Minn. rail lines. A near historical connection for a mascot in a particularly chilly part of the country.
Minnesota wouldn’t be a true Midwestern state without at least one story of a team being named by a local sportswriter. Enter the Blooming Prairie (Mn.) High Awesome Blossoms. The Blooming Prairie teams were always referred to as "the boys from blossom town," by writers who covered neighboring Austin (Mn.) High, leading to the Blossom half of the nickname. The Awesome segment is just a natural excitable modifier.
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