WARNING: SPORTS RELATED

I wish to indulge my interest in the juxtaposition of two of my favorite subjects: words and sports. I am fascinated by the stories behind the nicknames adopted by sports teams, and the traditions which they represent. Having had abysmal luck interesting anybody on a sports board with the subject, I shall proceed here.

Beginning, uncreatively enough, with the A's, the first subject is AGGIES. Not surprisingly, the nickname arises from a university's function as an agricultural college.

"Aggies" is the nickname for at least 5 college sports teams in the US:

California - Davis (NCCA II)
New Mexico State (Sun Belt - West)
North Carolina A & T (Mid-Eastern Athletic)
Texas A & M (Big Twelve)
Utah State (Big West)


Michigan State teams were referred to as the Aggies during the early 1900s, when MSU was still the Michigan Agricultural College.

Today I detail California - Davis:

Founded as the "University Farm" amid the fertile fields of the state's Central Valley, UC Davis has emerged an acknowledged international leader in agricultural, biological, biotechnological and environmental sciences and is gaining similar recognition for excellence in the arts, humanities, social sciences, engineering, health sciences, law and management.
The campus owes much of its strength to its deep traditional roots in agriculture, the impressive diversity of academic programs that emerged from this foundation, a distinguished faculty of scholars and scientists, a treasured sense of community and a dedication to the landgrant values of creative, responsive and innovative teaching, research and public service.

http://facts.ucdavis.edu/UCDhistory.html

In 1905, the California Legislature approved the establishment of a state agriculture school. Three years later, in 1908, the University Farm School opened at Davis, where students from the first UC campus in Berkeley learned the latest in agricultural methods and technology. Today, UC Davis offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs, along with professional schools of law, management, medicine and veterinary medicine. Our agricultural roots are still honored, however, in our nickname—the “Aggies.”

UC Davis is the largest of the nine University of California campuses, with 5,200 acres, second in total expenditures and third in enrollment. UC Davis stands 24th in research funding among universities in the United States, according to the most recent information from the National Science Foundation. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked UC Davis among the top public universities nationally, placing it 12th in 1999. And UC Davis is one of only 62 universities admitted to the prestigious Association of American Universities.

The Davis campus has undergraduate colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. Undergraduate enrollment is more than 19,400 students. Graduate Studies administers graduate study and research in all schools and colleges. Professional studies are carried out in the schools of Law, Management, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine; more than 5,600 students are engaged in graduate or professional study.

http://www.ucdavis.edu/campus.html

Historical Milestones
1905 Legislation approved for establishment of a state agriculture school
1906 Purchase of 778-acre site once known as the Jerome C. Davis farm
1908-09 University Farm School opens with first students
1922 College of Agriculture established
1948 School of Veterinary Medicine welcomes first students
1951 College of Letters and Science founded
1959 UC Davis designated a comprehensive campus
1962 College of Engineering given full college status
1966 School of Law holds first classes
1967 College of Agriculture renamed College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
1968 School of Medicine admits first students
1970 Division of Biological Sciences established
1981 Graduate School of Management opens its doors

http://facts.ucdavis.edu/timeline.html

After years in barley and alfalfa, the campus Quad became a lawn in 1932. Now the oak tree-lined heart of the campus, the Quad offers a welcome spot for concerts, speeches, festivals, fairs, Frisbees and picnics.

The first editions of the student newspaper California Aggie rolled off the presses in 1915. The paper now publishes 13,000 copies daily.

http://facts.ucdavis.edu/campus_trivia.html

The school colors appear to be blue and gold, and the school also uses a mustang as a symbol. Apparently, there has been some debate regarding replacing the mustang with something more obviously connected to an agricultural theme -- a scarecrow was proposed -- but the mustang still prevails.