"This Saturday, the USD football team will travel to Grand Forks, N.D. There, the Coyotes will play the University of North Dakota in UND’s homecoming game.

But the Coyotes might not be playing the “Fighting Sioux.”

Most sports fans are aware of the NCAA’s ruling that schools with Native American nicknames must get tribes to agree with the use of the name.

Programs such as the Florida State Seminoles, Utah Utes, Illinois Illini and the Central Michigan Chippewas were all able to receive tribal approval, and therefore allowed to keep their nicknames. Schools like Arkansas State, William and Mary and even recent opponent Seattle University have all dealt with nickname and branding changes.

North Dakota was the school that challenged the status quo, fighting to keep their athletic history and tradition intact for future generations and marketing purposes. To many, it wasn’t the University of North Dakota who won the national hockey championships, it was the “Fighting Sioux.”

Even with the grand tradition of UND’s hockey program, there simply wasn’t the support or funding to keep the nickname."

Get the Story:
Drew Quandt: Rebranding North Dakota Athletics (The Volante 10/1)

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