Why Ramblers?

Loyola University Chicago is the only NCAA Division I program with the nickname "Ramblers" for its teams. The unusual moniker originated when football was a common and popular sport at Loyola.

Before the 1920s, all college athletics teams were merely assigned their school colors, instead of a nickname. All Loyola teams were known as the "Maroon and Gold."

In 1925, the football coach, along with the student newspaper, conducted a contest to name the football team. The winning entry was "Grandees," tying into the Spanish origins of St. Ignatius of Loyola. However, the name "Grandees" failed to catch on.

In 1926, a more informal, but much more binding process, finally yielded the nickname: "Ramblers." That year, because the football team traveled so extensively across the United States, "rambling from state to state," the media dubbed Loyola as "the Ramblers."

Despite dropping football as a varsity sport in 1930, the nickname "Ramblers" is still proudly carried by today's athletics teams at Loyola University Chicago.