Editor's note: Marquettes Board of Trustees announced today that the new athletics nickname will be the Marquette Gold. This name was chosen, according to the University "for its unique blending of the universitys old and new athletics traditions," and was one of the many names suggested during nickname discussions in both 1994 and 2004. The change will be effective on July 1 when Marquette enters the BIG EAST Conference. Good bye Warriors and Golden Eagles.
{image1}In an e-mail sent to Marquette University alumni and friends, university president Robert A. Wild, S.J. says that the MU will announce its intentions on its athletic nickname Wednesday, May 4.
Wild writes, "I know you have been patiently awaiting word on a decision regarding our athletics nickname. The Board of Trustees intends to announce a decision immediately following its meeting on Wednesday, May 4.
"The Board has spent several months deliberating on this issue, taking seriously the opinions of more than 9,000 alumni, students, faculty and staff who participated in focus group discussions and an online survey. In addition to gaining a better understanding of the perspectives of so many, the Trustees, themselves, have explored very carefully all the various ramifications of the decision they must make."
The question before the board is whether or not Marquette should reinstate Warriors as the athletics nickname or whether it should be recognized as part of the school's history. "In either case," Wild writes, "we must and will choose a course that does not compromise our values and respect for the dignity of all members of our human family."
The Warriors nickname was used from 1954 through 1993, but former president Albert J. DiUlio led the charge to replace the name in 1994. A student election lead to the name Golden Eagles beating out the Lightning.
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