Sac St moniker

[GoldenEagleHornet]

How did Sac St select the Hornets as it's moniker for athletics? Some are obvious, SDSU Aztecs, university in a border city w/ Mexico. Cal Golden Bears, mighty grizzly bears that roamed California and featured on our flag. ASU Sun Devils, hot desert people . I have speculated in the past that it was done as a tribute to the USS Hornet, the first ship to depart from California when the US entered WWII. And Sac St along w/ my Alma Matter were built right after the war, 1947. But I do realize it may be based an agricultural trait of the region and also just based of the characteristics of the hornets. Does anyone know the story behind?

My Alma Matter (Cal State L.A.) also has a tricky one. We're the Golden Eagles. Very few people (this includes CSULA students) realize that a pair (possibly more) of Golden Eagles fly and soar over the campus. If you are in the south end of the campus and look up between late morning and late noon you will see them. There are some open areas, undeveloped hills and Whittier Narrows and Angeles Nat'l Forest not too far form the campus. I think that is what keeps the birds in the vicinity. A friend of mine who lives 2 mi. south of the campus said that they use to nest on the of the tallest trees in his backyard. He lives in City Terrace which is a very hilly area of East L.A. Prior to that we were the Diablos. I'm sure that had a lot to do w/ the fact that it's location borders East L.A. and San Gabriel Valley.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

Yes, you are correct. The USS Hornet was inspirational. The campus was founded in '47 and was highly geared for all the returning vets. In the 90's when construction teams were renovating an old building on campus they found a undisturbed closet and in the middle sat an abandoned gigantic real hornets nest. I remember seeing the picture in the school newspaper, but google didnt turn anything up.

I would have much preferred the Elk, Sockeye Salmon, Black Bear or Sasquatch.

 

[GoldenEagleHornet]

Yes, you are correct. The USS Hornet was inspirational. The campus was founded in '47 and was highly geared for all the returning vets. In the 90's when construction teams were renovating an old building on campus they found a undisturbed closet and in the middle sat an abandoned gigantic real hornets nest. I remember seeing the picture in the school newspaper, but google didnt turn anything up.

I would have much preferred the Elk, Sockeye Salmon, Black Bear or Sasquatch.

Thanks GCM.

LOL. The Fightin' Sasquatch. Are you sure you wouldn't of preferred the Golden Quail? They are they State bird and you're the institution in the Golden State's capital.

 

[josephpoint]

I wrote a story for the State Hornet about this.

I interviewd the Sac State student body president from 1947.

He said the several hundred students voted on school colors and a mascot at an assembly in fall of 1947.

The popular comic strip of that era was the Green Hornet.

So Hornets

became one of the choices and won by vote of the students that fall.

 

[Kadeezy]

Good knowledge!!!

 

[GoldenEagleHornet]

Both answers make sense to me.