Here’s an interesting article about the end of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. Apparently, today is the beginning of the transitional period where the law in the state of North Dakota that protected the nickname has ended and the transition to a new name will officially begin.

We at Miami remember how that worked for this university as the athletic teams were stripped of the “Redskins” nickname and old Indian-head logo, and played basically as the “Red and White” for a year or so until the RedHawks name was settled upon. But, the true transition took years. In fact, Miami was initially asked to drop the Redskins name by the Miami tribe in the early 1970s, but of course the school did not comply until 1996, and it didn’t disappear from Miami’s athletic teams until the end of the following year.

And, just earlier this year, Miami issued a statement saying the old logo could no longer be used or sold on merchandise, even though it had been updated to conform with the new “block M” logo and even still hung in Steve Cady Arena (thanks Happy Girl) until the beginning of the season. So, though Miami officially changed the nickname 15 years ago, you can still purchase a T-shirt with it in Oxford shops or online until at least the current supply of such merchandise is exhausted. In other words, until very recently, you could find the Indian-head logo on or around campus without much difficulty. But, it sounds now like that will be a thing of the past.

The point for Fighting Sioux fans and alums is to embrace change knowing it’s going to take time for events to unfold. And, as an alum of a school that’s already gone through such drastic change, at the end of the day, it’s still going to be North Dakota just as Miami has, and always will be, Miami University. If you can’t get past that, then perhaps you should reevaluate your relationship with your school. And, that’s something I’ve said to Miami fans and alums just the same.

NOTE

For the record, the name of this blog is not intended to demonstrate support for the old nickname, but rather, honor the tradition of the university’s athletic programs by using the old nickname as a reminder of how far the hockey program has come over the past 30+ years. The writers and editors of Redskin Warriors each fully supported the name change and have no ongoing concerns or delusions of grandeur about it. The name Redskin Warriors is not politically motivated in any way, shape or form.