Best nicknames in University of Michigan sports history

Submitted by oriental andrew on

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.

JustGoBlue

May 11th, 2011 at 3:56 PM ^

I couldn't believe that 46 posts and I was almost the first to mention Gordon "Red" Berenson, also known as the Red Baron.  Of course, JMFJ and Tiny "Shawn 'Mothafuckin'' Hunwick" Jesus aren't bad names either and I'm pretty partial to Cammy, Patches, etc. as well...

LB

May 11th, 2011 at 3:39 PM ^

but in terms of true universal use, I have yet to hear the stadium vibrate from people chanting "Shoelace" the way it did when people chanted "AC".

LB

May 11th, 2011 at 3:53 PM ^

RoJo - Ron Johnson, 347 yards vs Wisconsin - 1968

That record still stands.

Edit: if I were told he put up those numbers just trying to stay warm, I would not argue it.

oriental andrew

May 11th, 2011 at 4:11 PM ^

It's mostly football nicknames that have been posted, so I decided to peruse Baseball Almanac for a few U-M baseball player nicknames.  There are a few that seemed worth mentioning (years at U-M):

  • Chris Sabo was sometimes called "Spuds"
  • George Sisler (1913-1915) was nicknamed "Gentleman George" or "Gorgeous George".  He's also a hall of famer.
  • Vernon "Slicker" Parks (1919-1920). Cool nickname, although he only played one season in the bigs.  Capt of the 1920 team, per wikipedia.

In other sports, swimmer Eric Namesnik (winner of 2 olympic medals) was nicknamed "Snik".  

And of course in hockey, we can't every forget Jack "M***** F******" Johnson

 

chitown.victor

May 11th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^

..."Little Brother."  I love watching a Sparty blow a gasket when this one is used.  It's like my first car when it would vapor lock and not start, but sort of convulse and not know what to do.  Priceless.

acnumber1

May 11th, 2011 at 4:38 PM ^

As if he needed one, Harlan Huckleby was known in some parts as 'Huckleby Deep'  So much so that I once had a handpuppet of a Michigan player with 'Huckleby Deep' stitched in as a name tag of sorts.  (Some parts here may strictly refer to my home, but I think the web cast a bit further).

 

(Ufer voice-over) "Leach is under center with a balanced line, it's Davis close and Huckleby Deep...".

three red spiders

May 11th, 2011 at 5:43 PM ^

I was in band when he was there and he was dating someone in the band for a bit...she always called him "poom poom"...I know it was never public...and lord knows it's a good thing it wasn't...but my wife and I still call him that, even in the mid 00s when he always seemed to wind up on at least one fantasy football team I had....

Louie C

May 11th, 2011 at 6:22 PM ^

"Woo" for Lamar Woodley. I have a cousin whose last name is also Woodley, and everybody used to call her Woo. Lamar made a big play during a Steelers game once and the crowd was yelling "Wooooo!" One of my friends asked me why were they booing and I told them they were yelling his nickname.