As students at Bloomington High School North, we take pride in our Cougars, a name that embodies the strength of the student and staff body. However, if you look beyond Kinser Pike, the landscape of high school sports in Indiana reveals quite a bit of distinctive team names. From the unlikely to bizarre, or just names that catch the eye, let’s take a look at the 10 most distinct Indiana high school names in no particular order.
One of the most notorious is the Frankfort Hot Dogs, named in tribute to Frankfurt, Germany. John Pence, William Pence, and Nicholas Pence were the founders of the town in the early 1800s and they wanted to honor their German family heritage where their great grandparents were from. Decades later when the first high school began, the mascot choice became an easy decision, especially after a local news writer called them the ‘Hot Dogs’ and it stuck. The Indiana town has a Hot Dog Festival every summer. The current mascot was designed by Joe Sneathen, a model that was first born in the 1960s.
Another notable name lies in Elkhart, Ind., the Jimtown Jimmies. Their name comes from local lore, as a “Jimmie” is a nickname for railroad workers who’d put the spikes as rail lines were laid. The name is also said to resemble a “little Boilermaker.” Both tough, hard-working, blue collar workers with ties to the state of Indiana.
One of the more unique backgrounds is the Shoals Jug Rox, whose name refers to a famous mushroom rock near Shoals, specific to the area. The 60-foot tall rock formation shaped like a jug stands still in the forest along a dirt trail off the U.S. Highway 50. Their mascot is named “Roxer Boxer” and the school is home to roughly 200 students.
With some national attention, the Speedway Sparkplugs are also the perfect fit for their location as they are located within miles of the 100+ year-old Indianapolis Motor Speedway which hosts the annual Indy 500. As the only Sparkplugs in the country, the name certainly stands out. They adopted this brand in the early 1940s after a naming contest for the school’s basketball team.
