50 Fun Facts About NFL Nicknames

Which NFL team's name, chosen in a fan contest, comes from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe?

The Baltimore Ravens honour Poe, who spent the early part of his career in the city and is buried there. The club's three costumed mascots were named Edgar, Allan and Poe.

Which nickname did the narration of a 1978 NFL Films highlight reel hang on the Dallas Cowboys?

America's Team was coined by producer Bob Ryan, who wanted a new twist on the club's yearly highlight film. He later became editor-in-chief of NFL Films.

Which Chicago Bears running back, the NFL's career rushing leader when he retired, was nicknamed 'Sweetness'?

Walter Payton picked up the name in college, before his 13 seasons in Chicago. The NFL's Man of the Year Award, given for community service as well as play, now bears his name.

Which NFL team's name, revived from an earlier club in its city, honours a famous Wild West showman?

The Buffalo Bills took the name of a 1940s team from a rival league, itself a pun on frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody.

Which nickname is given to Franco Harris's shoestring touchdown catch that beat Oakland in a 1972 playoff game?

The Immaculate Reception got its name on air from Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope, who was passing on a fan's suggestion. Oakland coach John Madden said he would never get over the play.

Which nickname, coined as an insult by Illinois sports fans, do supporters of Wisconsin's NFL team now embrace?

Cheeseheads took the taunt as a badge of honour once foam cheese-wedge hats caught on in the 1990s. The team bought the hat's maker in 2023.

Which Chicago Bears defensive tackle, a 1985 rookie who also ran the ball, was nicknamed 'The Refrigerator'?

William Perry earned the name at Clemson, when a teammate squeezing into an elevator beside him said he was about as big as a refrigerator.

Which nickname for a desperate long pass caught on after Roger Staubach described his winning 1975 playoff throw?

Hail Mary is the prayer Staubach, a devout Catholic, said he recited with his eyes closed as the ball flew toward Drew Pearson to beat Minnesota.

Which NFL team is named after its original head coach, who also co-founded the club in the 1940s?

The Cleveland Browns honour Paul Brown, their first coach, who later co-founded a second professional team in the same state.

Which nickname did the Seattle Seahawks secondary of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor go by?

The Legion of Boom allowed the fewest points in the NFL four seasons running, from 2012 to 2015. The name later stretched to cover Seattle's whole defense.

Which NFL team is named after the prospectors who poured into California during the Gold Rush?

The San Francisco 49ers first used a logo of a mustached gold miner leaping in midair and firing two pistols, one of them nearly hitting his own foot.

Which cornerback, the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, was nicknamed 'Prime Time'?

Deion Sanders won Super Bowls in back-to-back seasons with two different teams. His one World Series came in 1992 as an Atlanta outfielder.

Which nickname did a 1971 radio contest give Pittsburgh's defensive line?

The Steel Curtain name, a play on the Cold War's Iron Curtain, was sent in by 17 listeners, so a drawing awarded the grand prize to a ninth grader. The line went on to anchor four Super Bowl wins in six seasons.

Which Detroit Lions receiver did a teammate nickname 'Megatron' after a towering Transformers villain?

Calvin Johnson got the name from fellow receiver Roy Williams, who thought his huge hands resembled the Decepticon's. In 2012 he led the league with 1,964 receiving yards.

Which Seattle running back, whose 2011 playoff run registered on a nearby seismometer, is nicknamed 'Beast Mode'?

Marshawn Lynch broke nine tackles on the 67-yard run, and the crowd's celebration measured magnitude 2.0. The play has been called the Beast Quake ever since.

Which nickname did the Chicago Bears' 1940s title teams take over from the University of Chicago's squad?

Monsters of the Midway first described the university's Maroons, who played beside a South Side park called the Midway Plaisance. The name was revived for the Bears' fierce 1985 defense.

Which name did the NFL's Tennessee Titans drop in 1999, a holdover from their decades in Houston?

Oilers was the name Houston oil tycoon Bud Adams gave the team he founded in 1959. It outlasted the move to Tennessee by two seasons before the club chose a new one for its new stadium.

Which nickname belongs to the gold rally cloth that broadcaster Myron Cope created for Pittsburgh's 1975 playoff run?

The Terrible Towel began as a radio-station gimmick that Cope at first refused to invent. Its sales have raised more than $8 million for a school that cares for children and adults with disabilities.

Which Pittsburgh running back did a Notre Dame student reporter nickname 'The Bus' for taking tacklers for a ride?

Jerome Bettis ended his career by winning Super Bowl XL in Detroit, his hometown. His coach Bill Cowher also called him 'the Closer' for running out the clock with a lead.

Which nickname did the Minnesota Vikings defensive line of Alan Page and Carl Eller borrow from a 1958 novelty song?

The Purple People Eaters reached four Super Bowls without winning one. Page, the line's tackle, became the first defensive player ever voted NFL MVP.

Which NFL team is named for the meat company that paid $500 for its first uniforms in 1919?

The Green Bay Packers got the money on condition that they carry the sponsor's name. Founder Curly Lambeau worked for the Indian Packing Company, which was bought out by Acme Packing the following year.

Which nickname was given to the St. Louis Rams offense that scored 500 points in three straight seasons from 1999?

The Greatest Show on Turf won Super Bowl XXXIV behind quarterback Kurt Warner, who five years earlier had been stocking shelves at an Iowa grocery store.

Which nickname do fans use for AT&T Stadium in Arlington, a nod to the Dallas Cowboys' owner?

Jerry World salutes Jerry Jones, who pictured the building as a large entertainment venue rather than only a football ground. It opened in 2009 under the name Cowboys Stadium.

Which name did Washington's NFL team adopt in 2022 after two seasons as the 'Football Team'?

Commanders replaced a name the club had carried since 1933 and retired in 2020 after decades of criticism.

Which nickname stuck to the 2007 scandal that cost New England coach Bill Belichick a $500,000 fine?

Spygate began when the Patriots were caught videotaping an opponent's defensive signals. The fine was the largest the league could impose, and the team also lost a first-round draft choice.

Which player in each NFL Draft earns the nickname 'Mr. Irrelevant' and a week of mock celebrations?

The final pick is feted in Newport Beach, California, and handed the Lowsman Trophy, a parody of the Heisman that shows a player fumbling the ball.

Which quarterback earned a 'Broadway' nickname from a teammate after appearing on a 1965 Sports Illustrated cover?

Joe Namath was dubbed Broadway Joe by offensive tackle Sherman Plunkett. He made it literal in 1983 by joining a Broadway revival of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

Which nickname did a Dallas sportswriter coin in 1964 for the Cowboys unit anchored by tackle Bob Lilly?

The Doomsday Defense carried Dallas to five Super Bowls in the 1970s. In the fourth of them, linemen Harvey Martin and a teammate shared the MVP award, a first for the game.

Which nickname is given to the lateral kickoff return that won Tennessee a playoff game in January 2000?

The Music City Miracle had Frank Wycheck throw across the field to Kevin Dyson, who ran 75 yards with seconds left. The Titans' own name for the play was Home Run Throwback.

Which Hall of Fame defensive end, an ordained Baptist minister, was nicknamed the 'Minister of Defense'?

Reggie White already had the nickname as a college senior at Tennessee, years before he became one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL.

Which NFL expansion team was unveiled on November 1, 1966, a date picked to match a Catholic feast day?

The New Orleans Saints were announced on All Saints' Day at the urging of local promoter Dave Dixon, who first cleared the name with the city's archbishop.

Which nickname did Denver's defense carry in 1977 on the way to the Broncos' first Super Bowl?

Orange Crush, also the name of a soft drink, was popularised by Denver sportswriter Woody Paige. The unit played a 3–4 scheme built around linebackers Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson.

Which nickname is given to the 1967 NFL Championship Game, played at Lambeau Field in sub-zero cold?

The Ice Bowl was so cold that the referee's metal whistle froze to his lips at the opening kickoff, and the officials went without whistles for the rest of the game.

Which LSU defensive back was nicknamed the 'Honey Badger', partly for a dyed blond patch in his hair?

Tyrann Mathieu also earned the name for playing fearlessly against much larger opponents. He forced 11 fumbles in his college career before turning professional in 2013.

Which NFL team was dubbed the 'Cardiac Cats' in 2003 for winning close games on the way to the Super Bowl?

The Carolina Panthers played five overtime games on the road that season and won four of them. They lost the Super Bowl to New England by three points on a last-second field goal.

Which NFL team took its name in 1901 from the faded shade of second-hand jerseys its owner had bought?

The Arizona Cardinals began in Chicago, where owner Chris O'Brien bought used maroon uniforms from a university and declared the faded colour to be cardinal red.

Which founder of the Chicago Bears, who also owned and coached the club for decades, was known as 'Papa Bear'?

George Halas helped found the league that became the NFL in 1920 and went on to win 324 games as a head coach.

Which nickname did Washington line coach Joe Bugel give his blockers at training camp in 1982?

The Hogs inspired a band of male fans, the Hogettes, who came to games for 30 years wearing dresses, wide-brimmed hats and plastic pig snouts.

Which NFL team was renamed partly to rhyme with the baseball club that would share its home, Shea Stadium?

The New York Jets, born as the Titans, were pairing themselves with the Mets. Their owner also liked that Shea Stadium stood close to LaGuardia Airport.

Which quarterback, known for shouting 'Omaha' before the snap, was nicknamed 'The Sheriff'?

Peyton Manning spent 14 seasons with Indianapolis and four with Denver. His production company, Omaha Productions, takes its name from that trademark audible call.

Which NFL team is named for the nickname of the mayor who lured it away from Dallas in the 1960s?

The Kansas City Chiefs honour Mayor H. Roe Bartle, who was known as 'The Chief' from his years as a Scout executive. The club had spent its first seasons as the Dallas Texans.

Which NFL team took its name in 1933 from the emblem of a New Deal recovery agency?

The Philadelphia Eagles borrowed the Blue Eagle symbol of the National Recovery Administration. The club was a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets.

Which name did the Pittsburgh Steelers play under from their founding in 1933 until 1940?

Pirates was borrowed from the city's baseball club, a common practice at the time. To tell the two apart, local newspapers took to calling the footballers the Rooneymen, after owner Art Rooney.

Which nickname is best known for the 1960s Los Angeles Rams line of Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen and Rosey Grier?

The Fearsome Foursome name had earlier belonged to the Giants' line of the 1950s. Rosey Grier played on both after a 1963 trade sent him to Los Angeles.

Which nickname did a remark by Dallas coach Tom Landry pin on a Miami Dolphins unit in the early 1970s?

The No-Name Defense got its tag when Landry pointed to its lack of famous players. It had the last laugh in 1972, winning every game that season, Super Bowl included.

Which nickname did Rams cornerback Dick Lane take from an R&B record a teammate kept playing in his room?

Night Train was a 1952 hit for Jimmy Forrest, played again and again by receiver Tom Fears. Lane intercepted 14 passes that rookie season, a record still unbroken 70 years later.

Which nickname is given to the 1968 Oakland comeback whose finish NBC cut away from in the East?

The Heidi Game is named for the children's film NBC started on time instead. Oakland scored two touchdowns in the last minute, unseen in the East, and the network's president issued an apology.

Which name did the Chicago Bears carry in their first seasons, in honour of the starch company that founded them?

Staleys stayed for one more year after the company's owner paid the coach $5,000 to move the team from Decatur to Chicago. The new name was a nod to baseball's Cubs, the club's landlords.

Which name won the Oakland Raiders' 1960 naming contest, only to be dropped nine days later after local ridicule?

Señors was mocked so widely that the club switched to Raiders, which had finished third in the voting. Critics pointed out that one of the owners was known for calling acquaintances 'señor'.

Which nickname is given to New England's 1982 win in which a convict on work release set up the only score?

The Snowplow Game turned when Mark Henderson steered a tractor and its snow sweeper onto the field with 4:45 left, clearing a spot for the kick. New England beat Miami 3–0.