NCAA Bans Indian Mascots During Postseason

AP ^ | Aug 5, 2005

[Leroy S. Mort]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.

The NCAA's executive committee decided this week the organization did not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools, committee chairman Walter Harrison said Friday.

Nicknames or mascots deemed ``hostile or abusive'' would not be allowed by teams on their uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford's president.

``What each institution decides to do is really its own business'' outside NCAA championship events, he said.

Guidelines were not immediately available on which logos and nicknames would be considered ``hostile or abusive.''

The NCAA two years ago recommended that schools determine for themselves whether the Indian depictions were offensive.

Among the schools to change nicknames in recent years over such concerns were St. John's (from Redmen to Red Storm) and Marquette (from Warriors to Golden Eagles).

The NCAA plans to ban schools using Indian nicknames from hosting postseason events. Harrison said schools with such mascots that have already been selected as tournament sites would be asked to cover any offensive logos.

Such logos also would be prohibited at postseason games on cheerleader and band uniforms starting in 2008.

[El Gato]

What about the farmers being offended by the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Actually the "farmers" were offended when the new atheltic director banned "Herbie Husker", who wears bib overalls, and wanted to change all the logo stuff, to just "Husker", because he thought "Cornhusker" was too "hick".

OTOH, their name before Cornhuskers was "Bug Eaters", and that didn't offend any bugs AFAIK : )

[SaveTheChief]

It is not authentic "Illini Indian" garb because the tribe no longer exists. However, this is a photo of the man who made the current costume --

Fools Crow with Chief Illiniwek at Memorial Stadium in 1982.

"On September 25, 1982, Sioux Chief Frank Fools Crow traveled to the University of Illinois with fellow Sioux elders Anthony Whirlwind Horse and Joe American Horse. During a halftime ceremony at Memorial Stadium, Fools Crow presented the University with the regalia currently worn by Chief Illiniwek."

"The nephew of Black Elk, Fools Crow is considered by many to be the greatest Native American spiritual leader of the past century."

"The regalia that Fools Crow presented was his own personal regalia, hand-crafted by his wife Katie. It is said that Fools Crow was very proud to make this presentation to the University as his work would be seen by so many people."

"Fools Crow passed away in 1989."

http://www.chiefilliniwek.org/phoenix/library/foolscrow.htm

[Ohioan]

Oh, come on now (so to speak). Wouldn't it be a hoot for the Seminole Tribe to file suit claiming violation of their right to expression as given through their permission to Florida State to use the name? It would have the PC supporters arguing against the people they were pretending to protect.

The attack on accepted names and ethnic terminology, is not really about "protecting" anyone. It is an attack on pride in lines of descent, on family indentification; on the cohesion and continuity of peoples. If you scratch the surface of those posing as the champions of minority peoples, you will find bigoted fanatics, trying to force all of mankind into a new mindset--one which will enable the institution of a One World Monolith.

The Leftist mindset, we describe, would like nothing better than for a full blooded Seminole to disdain his own ancestry. They certainly would like to see a major sports power cease to commemorate that ancestry, in any form.

To understand what has been going on--and how far, indeed, it is from the true interests of any of us--see Myths & Myth Makers In American "Higher" Education.

Or for a different aspect of the same thing, see The Battle Over Patterns Of Personal Identification.

It is not surprising that the NCAA would go off on this tangent. They have long pushed silly notions that have nothing to do with good sport and fair play.

William Flax

[SaveTheChief]

I'm guessing you could probably still get to your place in this formation if asked to do so :)

It's very sad to note that the stadium is half empty and I am hoping coach Zook can do something about that soon.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

My point is that the story here is not the mascots, but the motivation of those pushing for the ban on the mascots.

The motivation is just an attempt to tweak the nose of paleface.

Um, I know several Native Americans from such diverse tribes as the Apache, Choctaw, Hopi, and Cherokee. None of them, not one, agrees with banning names like this.

Sorry, it's the liberal "paleface" that is pushing this nonsense, no matter how much you try to blame those from Native tribes.

[lstanle]

"So what are Florida State and Illinois supposed to call themselves during the post-season, The FSU Sem and the Illinois Fighting?"

I suppose Florida State could get a lilly white guy dressed in a tuxedo to ride the horse mascot Renegade. This PC crap is offensive to me all the time.

[El Gato]

Pretty soon they'll all have lousy, innocuous names like the Moorhead Spuds.

You don't think that might be offensive to coach potatoes and short people?

[El Gato]

Also, the Minn. Vikings & Boston Celtics are safe.

I've got Scotch Irish heritage, I protest the use of the term "Celtics" (In spite of the fact that my daughter's names are both of Celtic origin). And don't you dare go naming any team the "Krauts". :)

On second thought that might be kind of cool. The Kansas City Krauts. :)

[El Gato]

Sooners were criminals, if I remember correctly. They were the people who illegally jumped the gun, so to speak, at the Oklahoma land rush.

Yep, they got their a little "Sooner" than the others. :)

[Tall_Texan]

No, I'm a Longhorn. But, I enjoy quirky traditions and wish they had kept the tortilla tossing. Who could it have harmed? Or was it deemed racist because it was Mexican food?

[RJL]

Does this count as hostile and abusive?

He looks like a smiling fun guy to me.

[El Gato]

the 7th Cavalry.

Historically Black schools can become the 9th or 10th Calvary, AKA "The Buffalo Soldiers".

[Tall_Texan]

They were actually named for head coach Paul Brown. Yes, I do remember the elf character but that's been decades ago.

I always thought those were the best uniforms for games played in the mud.

[El Gato]

Now that the tribes have discovered Casinos, white jealousy is boiling up to the surface. But remember the natives were put on reservations to grow and become self sufficient and autonomous.Not all the tribes have reached that point but many have and more will.

And more power to them. They'll go from being wards of the socialist state, to budding Capitalists.

IIRC, Gateway computers are, or once were, produced by Lakota people in the Dakotas somewhere.

[El Gato]

How about if they changed the team's name to the Washington Rednecks?

The Washington RedTape might be more appropriate, don't y'all think. I wouldn't want the term "Red Neck" besmirched by being associated with that den of thieves.

[Tall_Texan]

Illinois should show up and next year's NCAA tournament with plain logo-less orange and blue uniforms (maybe practice uniforms) or ones that say "CENSORED BY THE NCAA".

Even better, they should show up in shirts with no numbers, claiming that numbers on the uniforms might be offensive to those with learning disabilities. And while they are at it, they should demand that the score not be kept since competition creates losers who could have their feelings hurt.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Yes, I was in the first row of the first I of I-L-L-I-N-I. Right in the middle of the row - centered between the hash marks, I guess, would be the best way to describe it..... The chief would "emerge" from the marching band "muddle" right between me and the person next to me, as we would build the first I. During the two seasons I was in the band, the closest the football team came to winning a game was...... the ZERO-ZERO tie against Northwestern (and they were really bad back then too :-). It was hotter than Hades on the field that day - 95 degrees translated into 130 degrees for the astroturf field temperature. We were taking salt pills and drinking a LOT of water, and still some band members fainted when we hit the big Block I during the pregame show.

Needless to say, the Marching Illini and the Chief ceremony were THE most exciting things happening on the field those two seasons. I so remember our band director, the great Gary Smith, educating us specifically as to what our role was - to support the traditions of the school and to lend atmosphere to the whole event.

[cogitator]

Authentic enough for me!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

The name Illinois in and of itself is ..... the name of the tribe who lived here. OK, so let's rename the state so we can all be PC?!

Gimme a break!

[stacytec]

Ah, clearly the class exhibited by a Miami Hurricane fan.