Recently schools like Texas State, and Missouri State have changed their school name as their universities grow. Here is a list of teams I have noticed that are slowly changing their name.

UL Lafaytte = Louisiana (Louisiana on all school merchandise, uniforms, website, etc. Just hasn't caught on with Media and Conference)

Buffalo = New York (The State University of NEW YORK at Buffalo on uniforms, fields, and court but still goes by UB on helmets and Buffalo for school not sure how far they will go with NEW YORK still Buffalo on media)

Florida Atlantic (FAU) = Atlantic (Atlantic on end zones in stadium, Florida with big ATLANTIC on uniforms, dropped FAU on uniforms and logos, also not sure how far they are taking but I think Atlantic is a good name for a school.)

Army = Army West Point (Not sure why Army was better)

Non FBS Schools currently changing:
UW-Milwaukee= Milwaukee
UW-Green Bay = Green Bay
UNC Asheville = Asheville

Any more you know of just post and I will update.

Schools that should change in my opinion:
UTSA = San Antonio Road Runners
Army West Point = Army Cadets (Go back to Army)
UAB = Birmingham Blazers
East Carolina = Carolina U. Pirates
UNLV = Las Vegas Rebels
UTEP = El Paso Miners
ULM = Monroe Warhawks

D2...

Florence State to The University of North Alabama.

Always thought ULM should go to University of Monroe.

(05-04-2015 03:20 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  Always thought ULM should go to University of Monroe.

Like that one!

I have always been interested in the idea of ECU changing its name.

I'm not sure how much the UNC System would like ECU changing to Carolina University, but something to get away from the directionality of the university would be good. Something associated with Greenville or the surrounding area would be good. Maybe something to do with the tidewater region or coastal region? Coastal State has a good ring to it for some reason.

You don't change unless it makes you sound bigger or its catchy (Louisiana from Louisiana-Lafayette and especially Southwest Louisiana accomplished both).

Thanks to the Summit League:

UMKC is branded as Kansas City
IPFW is branded as Fort Wayne
UNO is branded as Omaha

When Kansas City joined the WAC, CSUB started being branded as Bakersfield.

(05-04-2015 03:29 PM)rknj8993 Wrote:  I have always been interested in the idea of ECU changing its name.

I'm not sure how much the UNC System would like ECU changing to Carolina University, but something to get away from the directionality of the university would be good. Something associated with Greenville or the surrounding area would be good. Maybe something to do with the tidewater region or coastal region? Coastal State has a good ring to it for some reason.

I think most East Carolina people are ok with the current name. Just don't call them Eastern Carolina.

I hate the sound of Carolina University. UNC and South Carolina already call themselves Carolina. Leave the name of the University alone. I went to school at East Carolina University. "We are the Pirates of ECU". Just the sound of Carolina University makes my stomach turn.

We will be seeing an entirely new D1 school next year in the WAC. The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) is merging with the University of Texas-Brownsville (UTB). The new school will be called The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, or UT-RGV

(05-04-2015 03:29 PM)rknj8993 Wrote:  I have always been interested in the idea of ECU changing its name.

I'm not sure how much the UNC System would like ECU changing to Carolina University, but something to get away from the directionality of the university would be good. Something associated with Greenville or the surrounding area would be good. Maybe something to do with the tidewater region or coastal region? Coastal State has a good ring to it for some reason.

Those are all terrible. Greenville is too small to warrant naming the school after the city. It doesn't help that virtually every state has a Greenville somewhere in their state, so the name doesn't immediate bring to mind a particular city like Houston, Pittsburg, Cincinnati or Memphis does.

(05-04-2015 03:29 PM)rknj8993 Wrote:  I have always been interested in the idea of ECU changing its name.

I'm not sure how much the UNC System would like ECU changing to Carolina University, but something to get away from the directionality of the university would be good. Something associated with Greenville or the surrounding area would be good. Maybe something to do with the tidewater region or coastal region? Coastal State has a good ring to it for some reason.

Too similar to Coastal Carolina, plus it fails to evoke a sense of place. Coastal State, or Coastal U, could be anywhere from Maine to Texas to Alaska to Hawaii.

If you're successful on and off the field and you can market yourself well, nobody will get hung up on directions or hyphens. That's just a ready excuse for schools that want a quick fix for their second or third-class status.

(05-04-2015 05:55 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  We will be seeing an entirely new D1 school next year in the WAC. The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) is merging with the University of Texas-Brownsville (UTB). The new school will be called The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, or UT-RGV

Kinda long Rio Grande Valley sounds good drop the UT for athletics.

(05-04-2015 06:30 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(05-04-2015 03:29 PM)rknj8993 Wrote:  I have always been interested in the idea of ECU changing its name.

I'm not sure how much the UNC System would like ECU changing to Carolina University, but something to get away from the directionality of the university would be good. Something associated with Greenville or the surrounding area would be good. Maybe something to do with the tidewater region or coastal region? Coastal State has a good ring to it for some reason.

Those are all terrible. Greenville is too small to warrant naming the school after the city. It doesn't help that virtually every state has a Greenville somewhere in their state, so the name doesn't immediate bring to mind a particular city like Houston, Pittsburg, Cincinnati or Memphis does.

Make East Carolina the U of Cape Hatteras, Piedmont U, or Tidewater U. All are a bit away, but it gives a sense of ECUs location.

F* ECU changing to any thing other than ECU or East Carolina University.

(05-04-2015 05:49 PM)PirateJim Wrote:  I hate the sound of Carolina University. UNC and South Carolina already call themselves Carolina. Leave the name of the University alone. I went to school at East Carolina University. "We are the Pirates of ECU". Just the sound of Carolina University makes my stomach turn.

When I hear East Carolina University, I think of Cape Hatteras. I don't know why. But it's not a bad image.

I think this is generally the conventions ladder with school that do change their name trying to move up. That doesn't mean all schools should (I'll argue several shouldn't in fact) or that there aren't a million exceptions, but when schools do change, they usually move from one lower on this list to something higher.

General ladder.
1. University of ________ (state name)
2. (state name)_______ State University
3a. (state name) A&M or (state name) Tech
3b. City name
4. Direction (state name) or Larger university and campus city

3a is usually higher than 3b, but some city names are more likely to get you noticed than many alternatives.

On the schools mentioned in the op:
1. Army West Point: This might sound bad from a pure college football perspective, but the name West Point is very prestigious in it's own right and simply saying Army probably doesn't always convey that to many people. I still expect them to generally be called Army.

2. I would definitely not relabel UNLV. They might not be a top brand, but they've decent success with that brand and are probably more recognizable than Nevada anyway.

3. Carolina U would be interesting, but somewhat dangerous too given both North and South Carolina regularly call themselves that as well. If the school was called East North Carolina, I think a move like that would be advisable, but at just East Carolina, it's not really worth the move.

(05-04-2015 02:35 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  Recently schools like Texas State, and Missouri State have changed their school name as their universities grow. Here is a list of teams I have noticed that are slowly changing their name.

UL Lafaytte = Louisiana (Louisiana on all school merchandise, uniforms, website, etc. Just hasn't caught on with Media and Conference)

Buffalo = New York (The State University of NEW YORK at Buffalo on uniforms, fields, and court but still goes by UB on helmets and Buffalo for school not sure how far they will go with NEW YORK still Buffalo on media)

Florida Atlantic (FAU) = Atlantic (Atlantic on end zones in stadium, Florida with big ATLANTIC on uniforms, dropped FAU on uniforms and logos, also not sure how far they are taking but I think Atlantic is a good name for a school.)

Army = Army West Point (Not sure why Army was better)

Non FBS Schools currently changing:
UW-Milwaukee= Milwaukee
UW-Green Bay = Green Bay
UNC Asheville = Asheville

Any more you know of just post and I will update.

Schools that should change in my opinion:
UTSA = San Antonio Road Runners
Army West Point = Army Cadets (Go back to Army)
UAB = Birmingham Blazers
East Carolina = Carolina U. Pirates
UNLV = Las Vegas Rebels
UTEP = El Paso Miners
ULM = Monroe Warhawks

Tennessee-Chattanooga is being called Chattanooga right now.

(05-04-2015 07:48 PM)MJG Wrote:  

(05-04-2015 05:55 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  We will be seeing an entirely new D1 school next year in the WAC. The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) is merging with the University of Texas-Brownsville (UTB). The new school will be called The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, or UT-RGV

Kinda long Rio Grande Valley sounds good drop the UT for athletics.

While I was hoping they would stick with the original name, Rio Grande Valley has grown on me. I like having the UT part for athletics. UT-RGV works.

East Texas State is now Texas A&M- Commerce
Colorado-Mesa was Mesa State
Colorado State-Pueblo was Southern Colorado
West Texas State is now West Texas A&M
Central Arkansas was known as Arkansas Teacher's College
UALR was Little Rock Junior College
Case Western Reserves was 2 colleges that merged. Case and Western Reserves.
Oklahoma A&M is now Oklahoma State
Central Oklahoma was Central Oklahoma State
UAFS was WestArk
UNR is now being called Nevada
Sewanee or School of the South
Duke was known as Trinity at first.
Arkansas A&M is now UAPB
Grambling College because Grambling State University
Alcorn A&M now Alcorn State
Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association is claimed by both Big 12 and MVC.
Detroit-Detroit Mercy
Washington University in Saint Louis is Washington, Mo.
Iowa Agriculture College now Iowa State
Arizona State Teachers College now Northern Arizona
Arizona State Teachers-Tempe now Arizona State
New Mexico A&M now New Mexico State
Texas Technical College Now Texas Tech U.
Texas Mines now UTEP
Oregon Agriculture College now Oregon State
Mississippi A&M now Mississippi State
Southwestern Presbyterian University is now Rhodes
Dahlonega now North Georgia
Central is now Eastern Kentucky
Howard College now Samford
Memphis State now Memphis
Southern now Southern Florida
Southern University now Birmingham-Southern
Massachusetts State now U. Mass.
Rhode Island State College now URI.


You could see why they change their names from early years to what we know them as today.