Wait, Your Mascot is a What?

Growing up in nearby Oregon, Illinois, our high school mascot was a hawk. We were the Oregon Hawks. Nothing really unusual or noteworthy about that one. However, one of our conference opponents at the time, Polo, had the unusual team name of "The Marcos." That's right, the Polo Marcos. I've heard that the name is in reference to something or someone, but I wasn't really paying attention in history class at that time, so I don't know...

Maxpreps.com, a high school sports-based website, says that the most common mascot for Illinois high school teams is the Eagles, with at least 33 teams carrying that title. Following behind in popularity are the Wildcats, the Panthers, and the Warriors.

Here are a few more of Illinois' more offbeat and/or creative team names and mascots, as collected by Caitlin Wilson:

• South Beloit High School SOBOs
• Rochelle Township High School Hubs
• Freeport Pretzels
• New Berlin Pretzels
• Hampshire High School Whip-Purs
• Cobden High School Appleknockers
• Hoopeston Area High School Cornjerkers
• Teutopolis High School Wooden Shoes
• Alden-Hebron High School Green Giants
• Centralia High School Orphans
• Southwestern High School Piasa Birds
• University Laboratory High School Gargoyles