Why Is Duke University's Mascot the Blue Devil?

The Duke University Blue Devils are a college sports powerhouse. The school, located in Durham, North Carolina, fields successful teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference that often compete for national championships. The nickname, though, doesn't have anything to do with sports.

  1. Background

    • In 1921, the student newspaper for Trinity College---which was later renamed Duke University---solicited nominations to choose the school's nickname, according to Duke's official athletic website. No clear-cut favorite emerged from the suggestions, which included the Blue Devils, Blue Eagles, Blue Warriors, Blue Titans, Polar Bears and the Royal Blazes.

    Selection

    • At the beginning of the 1922-23 academic year, editors from two student publications, "The Archive" and "The Chanticleer," suggested that the school newspaper, the "Trinity Chronicle," pick a nickname. The newspaper started calling the school's sports teams the Blue Devils, and the name stuck, according to Duke's athletic website.

    Meaning

    • The Blue Devils refer to French soldiers called the Chasseurs Alpins, or the "les Diables Bleus," which fought in World War I. They toured the United States during the war trying to raise money to fund the war. Irving Berlin called them "the Blue Devils of France," according to Duke's athletic website.