North Dakota has a new nickname.
The school announced the results of the voting process to pick a new name to replace "Fighting Sioux." Over 27,000 people voted in the poll, which was conducted from November 12-16. Fighting Hawks won with 15,670 votes. It defeated Roughriders.
“We are pleased to be able to announce the selection of a new nickname — Fighting Hawks — and bring this process, in which so many people have participated, to a successful conclusion," North Dakota president Robert Kelley said in a statement. "We especially appreciate the two nickname committees who worked so hard during this past year to make this a transparent, inclusive process that led to a short list of potential nicknames. Now, the voters have spoken, and they have told us that Fighting Hawks should be that new nickname. This is an appropriate choice, as Fighting Hawks symbolizes the competitive spirit of our athletes, the perseverance of the North Dakota spirit, and the continual ascendancy of the University and the state.”
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The two choices were the finalists from a submission period that encompassed all of May. The school released the candidates for the nickname – as well as the non-candidates – in May. Now that the new nickname has been chosen, the school is starting the process to find a logo to go with it. The logo is expected to be unveiled sometime in the summer.
According to the school, the new nickname immediately goes into effect for all sports teams, including the football team, on the school's website and all team broadcasts. North Dakota, 6-4, plays Cal Poly on Saturday in its final regular season game of the year.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!