MU and Warriors, A Unique "Brand" In The History Of Sports?

[Tugg Speedman]

At the end of the game CBS play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan repeated the final score and said " ... and the Marquette Warriors 59.  Sorry, the Marquette Golden Eagles, 59."

This got me thinking ...

It's been 19 years since MU changed its name to Golden Eagles.  Yet the Warrior "brand" is so identified with MU that to this day, people still mistakenly call us Warriors.  As we all know, Harlen's mistaken is hardly unique.

Is their any other "brand" in sports that is so strong that it lives on (or could live on) 19 years after it was replaced?  All I could think of is people calling the Raiders, "The Oakland Raiders" more than a decade after they left for LA.  The Raider brand is so tied up with Oakland it was hard to separate the two, just like MU and Warriors.

No one mistakenly called Stanford the "Indians" 19 years after they became the first school to be politically correct and changed to Cardinal in 1970.  Ditto the Washington Wizards.  Does anyone make the mistake of calling them the Bullets?  19 years after the Colts left Baltimore did anyone mistakenly call them the "Baltimore Colts?"  When North Dakota changes from Fighting Sioux, will they still be mistakenly called the "Fighting Sioux" 19 years later?  My bet is no.

What I'm trying to say is how remarkable it is that 19 years later we are still mistakenly called "Warriors."  It might be unique in all of sports.

Thoughts?

[GGGG]

Yes...and I think MU has tacitly allowed this because I don't think they use "Golden Eagles" or the bird logo in any way associated with Marquette men's basketball.

[rocky_warrior]

All I could think of is people calling the Raiders, "The Oakland Raiders" decades after they left for LA.  The Raider brand is so tied up with Oakland it was hard to separate the two, just like MU and Warriors.

Just to nit-pick, you do know there were only in LA for 12 years, and have since moved back to Oakland, right?  Not quite decades of the wrong city...

    Oakland Raiders (1960–1981)
    Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994)
    Oakland Raiders (1995–present)

[Tugg Speedman]

Just to nit-pick, you do know there were only in LA for 12 years, and have since moved back to Oakland, right?  Not quite decades of the wrong city...

    Oakland Raiders (1960–1981)
    Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994)
    Oakland Raiders (1995–present)

Yes and in those 12 years announcers repeatedly called them "the Oakland Raiders."

[GGGG]

But I think that was simply a mistake.  Announcers are intentionally calling MU the Warriors.

[MUMac]

Harlan's dad was a MU alum.  He grew up in Green Bay during the '60's/70's.  I would guess a fan of MU and Al during those years.  He knew them as "Warriors".  Likely a slip of the tongue that was etched in memory. 

[Knight Commission]

And a few times during the game I heard, "Lets go Warriors". Until all of the class of 1994 and before dies, you will likely hear that at games. Its instinctive. Kinda like shouting "Freebird" at a concert.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

At the end of the game CBS play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan repeated the final score and said " ... and the Marquette Warriors 59.  Sorry, the Marquette Golden Eagles, 59."

This got me thinking ...

It's been 19 years since MU changed its name to Golden Eagles.  Yet the Warrior "brand" is so identified with MU that to this day, people still mistakenly call us Warriors.  As we all know, Harlen's mistaken is hardly unique.

Is their any other "brand" in sports that is so strong that it lives on (or could live on) 19 years after it was replaced?  All I could think of is people calling the Raiders, "The Oakland Raiders" more than a decade after they left for LA.  The Raider brand is so tied up with Oakland it was hard to separate the two, just like MU and Warriors.

No one mistakenly called Stanford the "Indians" 19 years after they became the first school to be politically correct and changed to Cardinal in 1970.  Ditto the Washington Wizards.  Does anyone make the mistake of calling them the Bullets?  19 years after the Colts left Baltimore did anyone mistakenly call them the "Baltimore Colts?"  When North Dakota changes from Fighting Sioux, will they still be mistakenly called the "Fighting Sioux" 19 years later?  My bet is no.

What I'm trying to say is how remarkable it is that 19 years later we are still mistakenly called "Warriors."  It might be unique in all of sports.

Thoughts?

I think UND will keep the Sioux much like we keep Warriors alive.

[NCAARules]

Harlan's dad was a MU alum.  He grew up in Green Bay during the '60's/70's.  I would guess a fan of MU and Al during those years.  He knew them as "Warriors".  Likely a slip of the tongue that was etched in memory. 

Bob Harlan wasn't just an alumnus. He was also Marquette's Sports Information Director for a while.

[Jay Bee]

It hasn't been 19 years.  It's been slightly less than 18. 

[4everwarriors]

All the more reason to rightfully restore the Warriors nickname.

[MerrittsMustache]

In 1996 Bob Dole said that Hideo Nomo had thrown a no-hitter for the Brooklyn Dodgers the night before. That was ~40 years after the Dodgers moved to LA. Does that count? 

[MUrugger]

I was thinking of launching a post, "How much did Harlan make tonight?" but it fits here.

Assuming the keen investigative capabilities of this board will lead to the truth, or at least some plausible facsimile thereof, I'm wondering if the sly Mr. Harlan banked a little something on the side today.

We know that silent and not-so-silent Trustees pledged millions to the school if we would return to the proud Warrior name.  Not to really kick-start that polarizing discussion, I think we all understand that there is and will always be some serious money behind that sentiment. 

So let's say a guy who knows a guy says to Harlan,  "I got a guy who thinks it's worth $20,000 (or whutevuh) today if you manage to flub/reference the name 'Warriors' at least 3x during today's broadcast."  I think Kevin just earned himself a nice payday.  No foul.  CSI couldn't prove it.

And no charge for free thoughts on creating alternative revenue streams to the industrious broadcasting entrepreneur.  

[MUMac]

Maybe a new car ...   

[GGGG]

The Warrior name will never officially come back.  The Warrior name will never unofficially leave.

[Tugg Speedman]

In 1996 Bob Dole said that Hideo Nomo had thrown a no-hitter for the Brooklyn Dodgers the night before. That was ~40 years after the Dodgers moved to LA. Does that count? 

Nothing Bob Dole does counts.

[MUMac]

The Warrior name will never officially come back.  The Warrior name will never unofficially leave.

+1  So let's become the Georgia Tech of the Midwest, then!

[rocky_warrior]

I was thinking of launching a post, "How much did Harlan make tonight?" but it fits here.

Interesting theory, it keeps the name "alive" and no criminal wrongdoing.  Maybe we should start a non-profit just to keep this going

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Marquette Warriors is as strong a brand as UCLA Bruins, Indiana Hoosiers or North Carolina Tar Heels, to name a few.

It remains a tragic mistake on the part of our university and should've been corrected years ago.

[romey]

I know this may be off topic, but how about the Tampa Bay baseball team?  They are no longer the "Devil" Rays, but just the Rays.  What?  really? Perhaps we should stop calling the animal they are named after a devil ray.  Political correctness gone mad.

[GGGG]

I don't recall the "Devil" part of the Rays being dropped for religious reasons.  I simply think they wanted a fresh start and shortened the name by which the fans usually referred to them..."Rays."

[Tugg Speedman]

I don't recall the "Devil" part of the Rays being dropped for religious reasons.  I simply think they wanted a fresh start and shortened the name by which the fans usually referred to them..."Rays."

Correct, they changed to the name with new ownership as part of a fresh start.  That was only a few years ago.  Let's see if in 2023 people still refer to them as Devil Rays.

[Real Chilly Podcast]

it's embarrassing to even mention the Warriors and the Devil Rays in the same sentence

to compare an expansion team to a team with decades of history is apples to oranges.

I think UND is the better comparison... of course they will be perpetually known as the Fighting Sioux

[forgetful]

Couldn't someone start an unofficial clothing line featuring warrior apparel.  A sort of guerrilla marketing campaign.  If you got the students an fans to buy in and only wear the unofficial clothing line I would think that eventually the university and (nike) makes sure that we switch back to the warriors officially.

[THEultimateWARRIOR]

As a North Dakota fan I believe they will always be referred to as the Fighting Sioux. Just like the Warriors will always be Warriors!