Best nicknames in University of Michigan sports history
Inspired by this thread. So what do you think are the best nicknames in U-M sports history? What are some of the ones you grew up with? What were the worst/lamest? Any and all sports, of course.
Obviously, we have nicknames like Shoelace (awesome), Tractor (RIP), and the Butterfly (ugh). Graham Brown was known as Moose. I remember whenever Jerod Ward scored, they'd put up the "Hot Rod" graphic in Crisler.
This is also an education in Michigan sports history for me, as I was pretty much clueless about it until I started attending U-M in the mid-90s. Before that, I was all about the Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta pro sports, having been born and raised in the ATL.
Mike "The Geeter" McGee
Rumeal "Remedial" Robinson
Antoine "Slowbert" Joubert
Big Will
Hurry Up
We always referred to him as Uncle Charles.
I'd also like to add:
Adolf "Germany" Schulz 1904-1908
I also remember reading one time that Yale Van Dyne was referred to as Harvard by his teammates.
"Crazy Legs" Hirsch played two seasons for Michigan; he had also played for Wiscy, but transferred to meet some military base obligations during WW2.
I wasn't born when he was in college, but got to see him play pro ball for the Rams in the 50s when I was a little kid against the Lions at Briggs Stadium. When he touched the ball, even Lions fans cheered. People around here absolutely loved the guy.
I think his nickname had something to do with it.
Also..."Whizzer" White, who later became a Supreme Court justice, was a great nickname.
I'm pretty sure people were calling John Thompson "The Machete" for a while
Also coming soon, Sugar Shane Morris!
H20 "I run like water" Mike Hart
Tate"r tots" Forcier
Tom "The Comeback Kid" Brady
Darryl "Stonehands" Stonum (this is what he team called him before he figured the drops out after his freshman year).
Ed Shuttlesworth. His last name *is* the nickname.
Tyrone Butterfingers
Chris "Brick" Graham
"Minor Rage" and "Prison Abs"
The Machete!
Tony "Smokin'" Boles
Fat Elvis is a nice one for Tony Pape.
"Smoke a" even though it was grammatically uncouth.
who was butterfly? I only remember Tyrone Butterfingers Butterfield.
Darius Morris, thanks to Tim Doyle and nobody else.
This thread has been going for hours with no Fab 5 nicknames?
isn't exactly a nickname worth mentioning. (It's the kind of nickname the NYTimes article was complaining about--but maybe this is another trend the Fab Five started?)
Eso Akunne is called 'Tank' in my house for obvious reasons.
Devin, the Creator [Gardner]
Sweet Lou - Bullock
Peedi - Deshawn Sims
Manny - Copperyale Harris
JUNIOR - Timmmmy
All-American wrestlers who are better known as. . .the Steiner Brothers.
Their best nicknames were for their finishing moves--I only remember three of 'em, and I'm too lazy to google it--but the steinerizer, the frankensteiner, and the steiner recliner were all backyard favorites when torturing my little brother.