Best Sports Team Nicknames

1. Led by Hall of Famer Art Monk, the 1982 Washington Redskins wide receivers and tight ends carved out a unique place for themselves in NFL history. Credited with inventing the choreographed endzone celebration which resulted in a league wide excessive celebration ban two years later the unit was known for having a blast and winning football games. Victors of multiple Super Bowls, the group popularized the group high five after touchdowns, be .....

Wallys World

2. The 1999 Miami of Ohio RedHawks had one of the most improbable NCAA Tournament runs in recent memory. Entering as a 10 seed, the team upset University of Washington and #2 Utah on its way to the Sweet 16. Led by All American Wally Szczerbiak, the forward scored 43 points in round 1 and more than 23 the rest of the way before eventually losing to Kentucky. Happily, his name fit perfectly with the amusement park from National Lampoon s Vacation, a .....

The Killer B s

3. The 1982 Miami Dolphins defense allowed only 131 points in the 9 game, strike shortened season. The nickname was coined because six out of their 11 starters had last names beginning with B Bob Baumhower, Bill Barnett, Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper, Glenn Blackwood, Charles Bowser, Doug Betters and Bob Brudzinski. The Dolphins won the AFC Championship, before eventually losing in the Super Bowl. But the name lives on. .....

The Idiots

4. The 2004 Red Sox had four Hall of Fame caliber players Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Curt Schilling and many other great ones. Most importantly, they were all colorful. Dubbed The Idiots by Johnny Damon and Kevin Millar because of their eclectic roster and being too dumb to understand the supposed Red Sox curse, the 04 Sox did the impossible and won Boston their first World Series title in 86 years. And they did so i .....

Legion of Boom

5. Since 2012, the Seattle Seahawks have had one of the best and most outspoken secondaries in the NFL. Led by Richard Sherman, who burst onto the national scene by yelling at everyone from Tom Brady to Erin Andrews, the rest of the unit consists of the hard hitting Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Byron Maxwell and Brandon Browner. A play on comic supervillains Legion of Doom, the Seattle defense is consistently one of the tops in the league, their .....

The Hogs

6. Coined by offensive line coach Joe Bugel when he said in training camp, Okay, you hogs, let s get running down there, the Washington Redskins mammoth offensive line of the 1980s and 1990s was one of the biggest and best in football. Led by Hall of Famer Russ Grimm, the unit led Washington to three Super Bowl championships. To this day, fans of the team still wear pig noses to games in honor of the Hogs. .....

Lob City

7. A longtime NBA laughingstock, the Los Angeles Clippers finally began righting their ship in the 21st Century. Drafting DeAndre Jordan and All Star Blake Griffin, then assembling a solid team around them, all LA needed was one final piece to go with their squad of high flyers. When they dealt for All NBAer Chris Paul in 2011, they finally had that piece. Tops in the league in dunks ever since, the nickname was coined when Griffin, having just hear .....

The Marks Brothers

8. Mark Clayton and Mark Duper were the two best receivers to ever suit up for the Miami Dolphins. With eight pro bowls between them, the early 1980s duo flourished with Hall of Famer Dan Marino throwing them the ball. Dubbed The Marks Brothers, the two were entered into the Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor after their retirements. .....

Monsters of the Midway

9. Known for their dominant defenses and massive, punishing linebackers, the Chicago Bears have long held this well known nickname. Particularly referring to the dominant 1940, 1941 and 1985 teams, the name refers to a park known as Midway Plaisance on Chicago s South Side. The name is just as recognizable in Chicago as Singletary and Butkus. .....

The Miracle Mets

10. In 1969, only their eighth year of existence, the New York Mets improbably won the World Series after never having had a winning season prior. Also known as the Amazin Mets, the team was managed by Casey Stengal and led by Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Yogi Berra, all Hall of Famers. The season captured the imagination and tabloids of New York City, normally a right reserved exclusively for the Yankees. .....

The Bash Brothers

11. Winning three consecutive pennants and the 1989 World Series, the Oakland A s were led by Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley and immensely muscular sluggers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. Known for hitting massive home runs, the team became extremely popular around the country. Even with those homers severely aided by scientific enhancements, the nickname still stands as one of the best of all time. .....

The Secret Service

12. In the early 2000s, Michael Vick mania was in full effect. The fastest, most hyped, most widely covered, rocket armed Virginia Tech QB was the leader in the Heisman Trophy standings, and there wasn t a football magazine in the country that didn t feature his picture. While he never won the award or a National Title, his offensive line cleverly gave themselves a great nickname to commemorate the hysteria The Secret Service. Because of course .....

Murderers Row

13. The 1927 Yankees were one of the best teams of all time and may have had the most feared first six hitters in the history of baseball Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jack Nelson and Tony Lazzeri. Winning 110 games and sweeping the Pirates in the World Series (and then sweeping the Cardinals the following year), the team easily cemented its place in history. Which is exactly where its fearsome nickname will forever remain. .....

The Bad Boys

14. The 1980s Detroit Pistons had a true identity. Led by Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, they were going to beat you up and make no apologies for it. Famous for their playoff wars with the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics, the Pistons won two titles and bullied Michael Jordan before his championship run. The team came to prominence in the late 80s, just in time for Inner Circle s famous Bad Boys anthem. The name perfectly fit. .....

New York Sack Exchange

15. After the 1981 NFL season, in which the Jets earned their first playoff appearance since 1969 behind 40.5 sacks from Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko, the entire Jets defensive line was invited to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Thus, a great nickname was born. Rounded out by Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam, The New York Sack Exchange led the Jets to the playoffs again the next year, losing in the AFC Championship to Miami. Wi .....

Fearsome Foursome

16. Called the most dominant line in football history by none other than Dick Butkus, the 1960s Los Angeles Rams defensive line may still be just that. Led by punishing Hall of Famers Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones, as well as hard hitting Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy, The Fearsome Foursome transformed a sub .500 Rams team into an NFL powerhouse. In 1967, the Rams reached the conference championship game and became the first NFL team to surpass .....

The Four Horsemen

17. In 1924, Notre Dame football was the biggest sports team in America. Coached by the legendary Knute Rockne, the team featured a fabled backfield that ran roughshod over opponents and into the imaginations of fans across the country. Dubbed the Four Horsemen by famous writer Grantland Rice (and immortalized in a now famous photo of the uniformed quartet on horseback), Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden will forever be rem .....

Phi Slamma Jamma

18. In the early 1980s, John Wooden s UCLA played with a polished and methodical style, and every other basketball team followed suit. But in 1982, the University of Houston decided to change all that. Employing a frenetic, playground, above the rim style that centered around fastbreaks and dunks, the Cougars changed the way basketball was played. Thus, Phi Slamma Jamma was born. Known as Texas s Tallest Fraternity, the fraternity brothers .....

Run TMC

19. Rap music was just starting to explode on the scene in the late 1980s, and its influence undeniably began pervading the national consciousness soon after. Around the same time, a high scoring trio of stars found themselves on the Golden State Warriors. Coached by Don Nelson in his trademark run and gun style, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin took the NBA by storm. Though they began as the Big Three, The San Francisco Examiner hel .....

The Greatest Show on Turf

20. From 1999 2001, the St. Louis Rams broke offensive records nearly every week. Employing a five receiver, deep threat timing system, the Rams took the NFL by storm and couldn t be stopped. Led by quarterback Kurt Warner, who had famously been bagging groceries before being picked up by the team, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt, the Rams bowled over defenses on their way to two Super Bowl appearances, one win, and three MVP awards. ESPN .....

Broad Street Bullies

21. Repeating as Stanley Cup Champions is hard enough. Doing so with a memorable style that perfectly fits a team s city is nearly impossible. But that s just what the Philadelphia Flyers did in the 1970s. An expansion team only a few years prior, the nickname was coined in a 1973 newspaper article titled, Broad Street Bullies Muscle Atlanta, and came with the famous line, The image of the fightin Flyers spreading gradually around the NHL, .....

The Dream Team

22. Very few nicknames have been as apt as the Dream Team. Professional athletes had long been barred from appearing on the US Olympic basketball team, but when that ruling was finally lifted for the 1992 Barcelona games, America did it right. Putting together the greatest team ever assembled, the team had 11 Hall of Famers, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Traveling like rock stars all over Spain, the team changed inte .....

Big Red Machine

23. From 1970 1976, the Cincinnati Reds dominated the baseball world. Winning five National League West Division titles, four pennants and two World Series championships, the team averaged 98 wins a season and was a true dynasty. Led by baseball s all time hit leader in Pete Rose, the team also featured Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and manager Sparky Anderson. Collectively, they won six MVP awards, four home run titles, three .....

Fab Five

24. To be a truly great nickname, you not only need success and memorability, but cultural significance as well. The Fab Five had it all. The 1991 Michigan basketball recruiting class of Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Ray Jackson and Juwan Howard took the world by storm from the first time they stepped on the court. Blowing past opponents while wearing baggy shorts and black socks, and blasting rap music, the team became instantly popular .....

Steel Curtain

25. The defensive lineman of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers were the backbone of their dynasty, bullying teams to four Super Bowl titles and a place in the annals of NFL history. In the final nine games of the 1976 season, the defense held teams to an unbelievable average of 3.1 points per game, winning by a margin of 22. The Steel Curtain consisted of Mean Joe Greene, LC Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, and Dwight White, and eight of the defense s s .....

Purple People Eaters

26. Reaching the Super Bowl four times from the late 1960s through the 1970s is no easy feat. Doing so with a true identity and one of the best football units of all time is incredibly rare. Based on a popular song from 1958, the Purple People Eaters hit hard and took no prisoners. Consisting of Hall of Famers Alan Page and Carl Eller, and rounded out by Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen, this Minnesota Vikings group is one of the most famous lines in .....

Showtime

27. The best nicknames not only capture a team, but an entire city. And if it is so perfect that it totally encapsulates a style of play one that had never been seen before, to boot then it becomes the stuff of legend. When Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss bought the team in 1979, he not only wanted to win, but the games also had to be entertaining. With the drafting of Magic Johnson and the hiring of Pat Riley, Buss accomplished just that. Empl .....

The Broadway Blueshirts

28. This vintage nickname started with the New York Rangers early success in New York City s Roaring 20s. As local celebrities, The Broadway Blueshirts frequented establishments nearby Madison Square Garden and Times Square. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist keeps the glamor alive and remains a fixture in Manhattan night life. .....

The Boys of Summer

29. The Boys of Summer is a 1972 non fiction baseball book by Roger Kahn. After recounting his childhood in Brooklyn and his life as a young reporter on the New York Herald Tribune, the author relates some history of the Brooklyn Dodgers up to their victory in the 1955 World Series. He then tracks the lives of the players (Clem Labine, George Shuba, Carl Erskine, Andy Pafko, Joe Black, Preacher Roe, Pee Wee Reese, Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Roy Campan .....

Whiz Kids

30. The Whiz Kids was a nickname given to the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball. This team, averaging only 26.4 years of age, won the National League pennant during that season. .....

Pony Express

31. Freshmen Eric Dickerson and Craig James combined to rush for 1,239 yards in 1979, and the Pony Express was born. Let s just say it didn t end as well as it started. .....

The Tribe

32. The Tribe is a notch above the controversial nickname the Wahoo s derived from the Indians caricature logo of Chief Wahoo. Nevertheless, the Tribe has become a very common term of endearment for fans of Cleveland s beloved Indians and isn t dying off anytime soon. It might be even more common than the name Indians at this point. .....

The Lumber Company

33. The Pirates offense, known as the Pittsburgh Lumber Company included the likes of Manny Sanguillen, Willie Stargell, Rennie Stennett, Richie Hebner, Richie Zisk, Al Oliver, Dave Parker, Frank Taveras. .....

The Triplets

34. Nicknamed the Triplets, quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin led the revival of America s Team as the Dallas Cowboys won three Super Bowls in a four year span in the 1990s. Taken in the first round in three successive drafts (1988 90), the Triplets were the center piece of a rebuilding project by new owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson. Fittingly, they were all three inducted into the Pro F .....

Lethal Weapon 3

35. In the 1990 tournament, the trio of Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott, & Brian Oliver nicknamed Lethal Weapon 3 carried the Yellow Jackets all the way to the Final Four, where they lost to eventual champion UNLV in the national semi finals. .....

Electric Company

36. The Electric Company was the nickname of the offensive line of the Buffalo Bills during the mid 1970s that helped running back O.J. Simpson establish numerous National Football League (NFL) all time records and earn numerous statistical titles. The nickname is sometimes more loosely used to refer to the Electric Company Offense for the Bills offensive unit or the Electric Company Buffalo Bills for the teams of this era. The players are pictured a .....

The Fiddlin Five

37. Before the 1957 58 season began, legendary Kentucky Coach Adolph Rupp commented about the upcoming season, .....

The Big Blue Wrecking Crew

38. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew is a nickname used to refer to the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl Championships, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990. A 3 4 defense, it was among the greatest NFL defenses of all time, and featured Lawrence Taylor as its star, considered by many to be the greatest defensive player in NFL history. .....

Black Sox

39. The Black Sox Scandal took place during the play of the 1919 World Series. The Chicago White Sox lost the series to the Cincinnati Reds, and eight White Sox players were later accused of intentionally losing games in exchange for money from gamblers. The players were acquitted in court, but nevertheless, they were all banned for life from baseball. .....

Smurfs

40. The Smurfs was the nickname of the receiving corps. The name was .....

No Name Defense

41. The 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No Name Defense because Miami s impressive offense received much more publicity, as well as Cowboys coach Tom Landry coining the phrase in an interview, was the league s best that year. It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti, end Bill Stanfill, tackle Manny Fernandez, and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott. In all, nine players Csonka, Morris, Warfield, Little, Evans, Buoniconti, Stanfill, Ande .....

Orange Crush Defense

42. The Orange Crush Defense was the 34 defense of the Denver Broncos during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The team adopted the 34 defense during the 1976 season, and the nickname Orange Crush for the team s defense was popularized early in the 1977 season by sportswriter/broadcaster Woody Paige. .....

Portland Jailblazers

43. One of the worst behaved teams of all time, T the Jail Blazers tenure were Bonzi Wells, Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, Zach Randolph, Ruben Patterson, Scottie Pippen, Chris Dudley, Arvydas Sabonis, Darius Miles, Qyntel Woods, Shawn Kemp and Omar Cook. One would look at this roster and think to themselves wow, if they had it together they could actually have been a great team but instead they acted more immaturely than any other athletes w .....

Air Coryell

44. In American football, Air Coryell is the name given to the offensive scheme and philosophy developed by former San Diego Chargers coach Don Coryell. Besides the term Air Coryell , the offensive philosophy developed by Coryell has been called the Coryell offense or the vertical offense . With Dan Fouts as quarterback, the San Diego Chargers offense was among the greatest passing offenses in National Football League history. The Charger .....

Doomsday Defense

45. The Doomsday Defense was the nickname given to the famous defensive of the American football team the Dallas Cowboys during their late 1960s 1970s dynasty years. This defense was the backbone of the Cowboys dynasty, which won two Super Bowls (VI, XII) and played in three more (V, X and XIII). Often recognized as two different generations of the famed Doomsday Defense . However, there is no agreed upon definition of exactly when those defens .....

Harveys Wallbangers

46. Kuenn was fired as manager after the Brewers finished fifth in the AL East with an otherwise respectable 87 75 record in 1983. He compiled a 160 118 managerial record. During his tenure, the hard hitting Brewers were known as Harvey s Wallbangers. At the time, their roster included Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie, Ted Simmons, Gorman Thomas, and future Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount. After being replaced, he worked as a major league scout .....

Kardiac Kids

47. The 1980 Cleveland Browns were known as the Kardiac Kids for having several games decided in the final moments. .....

Americas Team

48. The Dallas Cowboys became America s Team in 1978 when NFL films announcer Bob Ryan introduced this nationally popular franchise in the team s highlight film. The name stuck and helped to solidify its fan base outside of Dallas. Many people laugh at this name because of the hatred the team has around the country as well. It s a bit of a controversy nowadays with stupid sports shows like First Take . .....

The Heatles

49. One of the most hated teams ever assembled, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh lead the Miami Heat and self proclaimed Heatles to four straight NBA Finals winning 2 of 4. The big three completely took over the NBA, dominated attention in the media, and had everyone talking around the sports world. Maybe comparing themselves to The Beatles wasn t too far fetched. .....

Gashouse Gang

50. The Gashouse Gang was a nickname applied to the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team of 1934. The team won 95 games, the National League pennant, and the 1934 World Series in seven games over the Detroit Tigers. .....

The Lords of Flatbush

51. This old school nickname remembers the Dodgers when they played in Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Flatbush. The Lords unfortunately had to head for the hills of Los Angeles and more cash, but you can still find some classic Dodgers tees on Flatbush Avenue. .....

The Brew Crew

52. The Milwaukee Brewers, based in the beer capital of America, even have a blade of wheat on their team logo. At least they are honest about their embrace of America s other favorite pastime. A catchy name for the beloved baseball team of Milwaukee. .....

The Bronx Bombers

53. A nickname used to refer to the New York Yankees, which came about due to the teams location in the Bronx borough and the focus on home runs as part of their offensive strategy.The nickname was originally coined in 1936 by Daniel Daniels who wrote for New York World Telegram. The Yankees were originally known as the New York Highlanders before changing their name to the Yankees in 1913. Other nicknames for the New York Yankees include the Yanks, .....

Gang Green

54. Not sure if this is a term of endearment for the New York Jets or a warning for Plaxico to keep an eye on that leg injury. Gang Green was also shared by the Philadelphia Eagles from 1987 90. Maybe it s contagious. .....

Dirty Birds

55. The nickname started during the 1998 season when the Atlanta Falcons made it all the way to the Super Bowl but lost to the John Elway led Denver Broncos. There s also a Dirty Bird dance that makes you wonder if you are at a football game or a wedding. It seems both matrimony and pigskin are blessed by the universal force motivating people to dance like a bird, no matter how ridiculous it looks. .....