Retire the name
Phil Jackson, the Los Angeles Lakers coach and a University of North Dakota alumnus, did some gentle nudging of those folks up in Grand Forks recently. He urged them to rethink the “Fighting Souix” nickname and moniker.
Now, for us folks down here in the Twin Cities, it might seem like a no-brainer to lose the nickname and moniker which have proved so increasingly controversial over the last few years. But, having reported on the controversy when I lived and reported in Grand Forks (my hometown), I can testify that the nickname and moniker mean much more to Grand Forksian’s and UND fans than most outside the city will ever understand.
The university’s alumni have been the fiercist defenders of the nickname, some sending threatening notes to past UND presidents. Late alumnus Ralph Engelstad even went so far as to donate a state-of-the-art hockey stadium to the university, then blackmail the president and North Dakota Board of Education into voting to keep the name or he’d cease construction on the stadium and leave what was there to rust.
So, you can understand the irony when a rich, white, influential alumnus stood up to speak in favor of changing the name.
Jackson expressed the kind of reasonable arguement that has been lost on some of the more extremist proponents on both sides of this arguement for years—let us gracefully accept the change and not lose sight of the passion we have for our sports teams and alma mater.
He said the nickname and moniker are not beneficial to the Lakota people it purports to honor. This marks the first time that someone so respected among alumni and so linked to the UND sports tradition has taken that position. It may even be enough to convince the nickname and moniker lovers that the time has come.
It would be interesting to know the history of the nickname and moniker. Was it adopted out of respect and honor or for some sinister reason? How do the Lakota feel about the issue?