Blue Devils Duke University: Encyclopedia - Blue Devils Duke University

Blue Devils (Duke University)

Blue Devils is the mascot for Duke University's athletic teams. The mascot is named after the French Chasseurs Alpins soldier in World War I that wore a distinctive blue uniform with a flowing cape and a beret. For this reason, they were nicknamed "les Diables Bleus" or Blue Devils.

Blue Devils Duke University - History

As World War I ended, Duke's Board of Trustees, then called the "Trinity College Board of Trustees", lifted their quarter century ban of football on campus. The team was then known as the Trinity Eleven, the Blue and White, or the Methodists (as opposed to the Baptists of nearby rival Wake Forest University). Because of the ambiguity, the student newspaper, the Trinity Chronicle (now called The Chronicle) launched a campaign to create a new mascot. Nominations for a new team name included Catamounts, Grizzlies, Badgers, Dreadnaughts, and Captains. The Trinity Chronicle editor narrowed the many nominations down to those that utilized the school colors of dark blue and white. The narrowed list consisted of Blue Titans, Blue Eagles, Polar Bears, Blue Devils, Royal Blazes, and Blue Warriors. Though none of the nominations was a clear favorite, the name Blue Devils elicited criticism that it would engender opposition on campus and could possibly jeopardize football at the college if the name was used. That year, the football season passed with no official selection.

During the 1922-1923 academic year, campus student leaders and the editors of the two other student publications, The Archive and The Chanticleer, decided that the newspaper staff should decide the name on their own because the nomination process had proved inconclusive. Editor-in-Chief William H. Lander and Managing Editor Mike Bradshaw began referring to the athletic teams as the Blue Devils. Though the name was not officially used that year, no opposition to the name arose. The Chronicle's staff continued to use the name and eventually, Blue Devils caught on.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Blue Devils Duke University", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki