List of North American football nicknames

This is a list of nicknames in the sports of American football and Canadian football.

Players

• "A-Train" — Mike Alstott, Anthony Thomas
• "Air McNair" - Steve McNair
• "AD" (ALL DAY) - Adrian Peterson
• "Automatic" — Otto Graham
• "Automatica" — Martín Gramática
• "Assassin" - Jack Tatum One of the hardest hitting safties to play the game; played for the Oakland Raiders
• "Bad Moon" - Andre Rison
• "Big Ben" - Ben Roethlisberger
• "Big Cat" - James Williams
• "B-Rad" - Brad Johnson
• "Brady Bunch" - New England Patriots
• "Broadway Joe" — Joe Namath, quarterback; in reference to his flashy style and personality, such as wearing full-length fur coats while on the sidelines.
• "The Bus" - Jerome Bettis, a bruising running back who, as a Pittsburgh Steeler dressed in black and gold, resembled a schoolbus.
• "C-Mac" - Chris McAlister
• "Cadillac" - 'Carnell Williams
• "Catfish" - Roger Craig, running back; one of most prolific San Francisco 49ers' running backs from the 80's and early 90's, the name his teammates called him because he would "swim" through the defenses, and because of the way he would run with his eyes wide open and his high knee running style.
• "Ceddy Bear" — Cedric Benson
• "Crazy Legs" — Elroy Hirsch
• "Danimal" - Dan Hampton
• "Dan the Man" - Dan Marino
• "Darth Raider" - Lyle Alzado (during his Raiders days)
• "The Edge" — Edgerrin James
• "Fast Willie" - Willie Parker
• "First Down" - Jim Brown
• "Flipper" - Willie Anderson
• "The Freak" - Jevon Kearse
• "Ghost" - Dave Casper TE who played for the Oakland Raiders, play on his last name.
• "Goose" - Tony Siragusa
• "Grave Digger" - Gilbert Brown
• "The Great One" - Jerry Rice
• "Gizmo" - Henry Williams; Kick return specialist for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League
• "Hollywood" - Thomas Henderson
• "Housemendez" — T.J. Houshmandzadeh
• "T.J. Housyamama" - T.J. Houshmandzadeh
• "Ironhead" - Craig Heyward
• "Jake The Snake" — Jake Plummer, for his effective scrambling ability.
• "Joe Cool" - Joe Montana, quarterback; who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Winner of four Super Bowl victories throughout the 1980s, he was named after his cool and calm playing style even while under pressure. While in Notre Dame he was also known as The Comeback Kid.
• "Johnny U" - Johnny Unitas
• "The Juice" — O.J. Simpson, running back; "O.J." is a common nickname for orange juice
• "Lights Out" - Shawne Merriman
• "Lincoln Locomotive" - Leo Lewis Member of CFL Hall of Fame - Holder of school rushing records at Lincoln University.
• "LT" — First used in the 1980s for Lawrence Taylor, today used for LaDainian Tomlinson
• "LJ" - Larry Johnson
• "Marion the Barbarian" — Marion Barber
• "McNeezy" — Donovan McNabb
• "Megatron" — Calvin Johnson, coined by wide receiver Roy Williams
• "Minister of Defense" - Reggie White, defensive lineman from Philadelphia and ordained pastor
• "Mongo" - Steve McMichael
• "Moose" - Daryl Johnston]
• "Nasty Nate" — Nate Burleson
• "Neon Deion" — Deion Sanders, cornerback; Deion was well-renowned for making exciting plays, and displaying a vibrant personality
• "Ocho Cinco" (Spanish for 85, his uniform number) - Chad Johnson
• "Prime Time" — Deion Sanders
• "P Rivers" — Philip Rivers
• "Pillsbury Throw Boy" — Jared Lorenzen
• "Pinball" - Mike Clemons; Runningback (and now President) for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League
• "Purple Jesus" -- Running Back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, for seemingly miraculous moves
• "Refrigerator" or "The Fridge" — William Perry, lineman; due to his considerable stature (height 6 ft 2 in/188 cm, weight approximately 350lb/159kg), calling to mind a "walking refrigerator" - was called "Biscuit" by his Chicago Bears teammates after head coach Mike Ditka responded to a press question about Perry's weight by saying, "He's about a biscuit short of three-fifty [350lbs]."
• "Ray Ray" - Ray Lewis
• "The Reaper" — Reggie Hunt; Linebacker of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League
• "Rowdy Roddy" — Roddy White
• "Shock Man" — Jeremy Shockey
• "Super Freak" — Randy Moss, for his physical size and speed as a Wide Receiver, as well as his ability to make prolific catches and score touchdowns.
• "Sweetness" - Walter Payton
• "The Snake" - Ken Stabler,quarterback; the name used for the Oakland Raiders' scrambling left-handed QB from the 70's.
• "T.D." - Tony Dorsett, in recognition of both his initials and the abbreviation for touchdown.
• "T.O." - Terrell Owens
• "Tikister" - Tiki Barber
• "T-Jax" - Tarvaris Jackson
• "The Tuna" - Bill Parcells, celebrated head coach of the New York Giants, now an executive with Miami.
• "Too Tall" — Ed Jones, defensive end; reference to his considerable height (6'9"/206 cm)
• "Vinsanity" or "VY" — Vince Young
• "X-Factor" - Dante Hall

Teams

This is a list of nicknames of professional and college football teams. Many are merely abbreviations or diminutives of the team's name; otherwise, the origin of the nickname (if known) is noted. An asterisk (*) after a nickname indicates that the name is pejorative, insulting, or has at least a negative intent, and is often used by opponents or detractors (including fans when the team is performing poorly). Note on abbreviations: CFL - Canadian Football League; NFL - National Football League; NCAA - National College Athletic Association

American football

By nickname

• "Ain'ts*" – New Orleans Saints, NFL; rhyming play on the non-standard English negative ain't
• "America's Team" – Dallas Cowboys; coined by Bob Ryan, the Vice President and editor-in-chief of NFL Films in 1979 as a title for the team's 1978 highlight film; based on the widespread fan base of the team outside its home environs.
• "B.I.L.L.S.*" - Buffalo Bills, by detractors, acronyms for "Boy I Love Losing Super Bowls", in reference to the team's failure to win the Super Bowl in four straight tries during the early 1990s
• "Big Blue (Wrecking Crew)" – New York Giants, NFL; from the color of their jerseys, influenced by the nickname of IBM
• "BIG D / Doomsday" - Dallas Cowboys
• "The Black and Gold" – Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL; from their uniform colours
• "Bolts" – San Diego Chargers, NFL; from the lightning bolt design on their helmets
• "Brownies" – Cleveland Browns (reference to an early Browns mascot)
• "Bucs/Buckies" – Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL; abbreviation of team name
• "The Bungles*" – Cincinnati Bengals, NFL; a play off the team's name, used by detractors
• "The Cardiac Cats" - Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL; used by detractors and fans alike for their penchant for playing close games that are decided in the fourth quarter.
• "The Chefs" – Kansas City Chiefs, NFL; origin Snickers candy bar commercial; however, the NFL has licensed official "Kansas City Chief Head Chef Cookie Jars"
• "The Chesapeake Watershed Region Indigenous Persons" – Washington Redskins, NFL; translation of team name into exaggerated politically correct terms It was later changed to "Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons" (see below) since the Baltimore Ravens also share the Chesapeake Bay region.

The C.O.L.T.S.*: An acronym for "Count On Losing This Sunday". An insulting phrase and joke used by people during the years when the Colts as a team struggled to win.

• "Da Raidahs" – Oakland Raiders, NFL; The way Chris Berman of ESPN says, "The Raiders"
• "Dawgs" – Cleveland Browns, NFL; according to Hanford Dixon, then a cornerback with the Browns, he gave his defensive teammates this nickname to inspire them before the 1985 season
• "DeadSkins" – Washington Redskins, NFL; rhyming play on team name; used by detractors.
• "The Dirty Birds" – Atlanta Falcons, NFL; team dubbed themselves by this name during their race to Super Bowl XXXIII
• "The Dolts" – Indianapolis Colts, NFL; rhyming play on name with a term for "idiot"; by detractors
• "The Donkeys" - Denver Broncos, NFL; used affectionately by fans when the team is not playing well.
• "Faiders" - Oakland Raiders, NFL; by detractors.
• "The Flaming Thumbtacks" – Tennessee Titans, NFL; a humorous interpretation of their team logo, actually a flaming stylized letter "T"
• "The Fins" – Miami Dolphins, NFL; play on abbreviation of name with the appendages of a dolphin
• "The Fish" – Miami Dolphins, NFL; while the mascot and team logo of bottlenose dolphins are not fish, but mammals. The rhyme detractors used when they played in the Orange Bowl was, "squish the fish in the Orange Dish."

Now rarely used due to the Florida Marlins, who are also called "The Fish".

• "G-Men" – New York Giants, NFL; initial of team name, possibly a play on the term for a government (e.g. FBI) agent
• "Goats" – Saint Louis Rams, NFL; when playing poorly
• "Jags" – Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL; abbreviation of team name
• "Jest" – New York Jets, NFL; humorous misspelling of team name; used when team is performing poorly
• "Jints" - New York Giants, NFL; shortened version of "Giants"
• "Jokeland (Faders/Traitors)"* - Oakland Raiders, by detractors
• "Lambs" – Saint Louis Rams, NFL; a lamb being a soft, cuddly, meek baby sheep (as opposed to a ram, being an aggressive full-grown male sheep); rhyming nickname used by detractors when team performs poorly
• "The Liedowns" – Detroit Lions, NFL; a play off the team's name, used by detractors
• "Mara Tech" - New York Giants, NFL; a reference to Wellington Mara, the team's former owner
• "Monsters of the Midway" – Chicago Bears, NFL; originally applied to the University of Chicago "Maroons", a strong (former) college football team; "Midway" refers to the Midway Plaisance, a long, green swath of boulevard space bordering the southern end of the campus. The University discontinued its football program in 1939, and the Bears adopted the nickname
• "'Niners" – San Francisco 49ers, NFL; abbreviation of team name
• "The Oilers" – Tennessee Titans, NFL; a reference of the team's name before it moved to Tennessee, the Houston Oilers.
• "The Old Browns" - Baltimore Ravens, NFL; a reference of the team's name before it moved to Baltimore, the Cleveland Browns.
• "The Orange Crush" - Denver Broncos, NFL; an old nickname for a 3-4 defense that was known to "crush" the run.
• "The Pack" – Green Bay Packers, NFL; abbreviation of name, and a play on the collective term for a group of animals such as dogs or wolves
• "Pats" – New England Patriots, NFL; abbreviation of team name
• "The Patsies" – New England Patriots, NFL; play on nickname "Pats" (above) and the term patsy, "a person who is easily manipulated or victimized"
• "The Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons" – Washington Redskins, NFL; translation of team name into exaggerated politically correct terms, popularized by NFL columnist and Washington, D.C. resident Gregg Easterbrook in his weekly column Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
• "Purple People Eaters" – Minnesota Vikings, NFL; from their jersey color, and a play on the novelty song Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley
• "Raider Nation" – Oakland Raiders, NFL; used to describe the large fanbase of Raiders fans.
• "Rammers" – Saint Louis Rams, NFL; extension of team name
• "The San Antonio Saints" – New Orleans Saints, NFL; because a rumored move to San Antonio, Texas due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina
• "Seagulls" - Seattle Seahawks, term often said by detractors when Seahawks are playing poorly.
• "The Silver and Black" – Oakland Raiders, NFL; from the colors of the uniforms
• "Sinners" – New Orleans Saints, NFL; "sinner" is often a paired opposite of "saint"; used by detractors
• "'Skins" – Washington Redskins, NFL; abbreviation of team name
• "The Steel Curtain" – Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL; coined in their glory years of the 1970s, has been resurrected due to their recent success; play on the term Iron Curtain
• "'Stillers" – Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL; local pronunciation in Midland American English, spoken throughout Appalachia.
• "Vikes – Minnesota Vikings, NFL; abbreviation of team name
• "Sheagles" – Philadelphia Eagles, NFL; this is used against the Philadelphia Eagles and can also be used to flip around the Eagles chant E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES! into S-H-E-A-G-L-E-S SHEAGLES!
• "The New York Football Giants"– New York Giants, NFL; this comes from the days when there were two New York sports teams with the nickname "Giants"; also the old home of the San Francisco Giants.

Canadian football

• "Als" – Montreal Alouettes, CFL; abbreviation of name
• "Argonots" – Toronto Argonauts, CFL; derogatory name used when team is performing poorly
• "Argos" – Toronto Argonauts, CFL; abbreviation of name
• "Banjo Pickers" – Saskatchewan Roughriders, CFL; derogatory term; from a comment by Winnipeg place kicker Troy Westwood before a playoff game in 2003 that Saskatchewan fans were a bunch of "banjo-pickin' inbreds". See also Banjo Bowl.
• "Big Blue" – Winnipeg Blue Bombers; reference to the team's name and colours, possibly influenced or suggested by the nickname of IBM
• "The Blue and Gold" – Winnipeg Blue Bombers, CFL; after the team colours
• "The Boatmen" – Toronto Argonauts, CFL; in reference to the team's foundation by the Argonaut Rowing Club of Toronto, which in turn was derived from Jason and the Argonauts, mythical heroes and boatmen who are the namesake of both the rowing club and the CFL team
• "Bombers" – Winnipeg Blue Bombers, CFL; abbreviation of team name
• "The Bummers" – Winnipeg Blue Bombers, CFL; derogatory play on "Bombers", either by rivals or by their own fans when the team performs poorly
• "The Double Blue" – Toronto Argonauts, CFL; in reference to the team colours, Oxford blue and Cambridge blue
• "Esks" or "Eskies" – Edmonton Eskimos, CFL; abbreviation of team name
• "'Gades" – Ottawa Renegades, CFL; abbreviation of team name
• "Leos" – British Columbia Lions, CFL; "Leo" is a common nickname for "lion" (from Latin, leo)
• "Riders" – Saskatchewan Roughriders, CFL; abbreviation of team name
• "Shmoes" – Edmonton Eskimos; derogatory term, play on the last syllable of the team name and the Yiddish term schmo, "a stupid or obnoxious person"
• "Stamps" – Calgary Stampeders, CFL; abbreviation of team name
• "Stumps" – Calgary Stampeders, CFL; pejorative play on abbreviation of team name
• "The Tabbies" – Hamilton Tiger-Cats, CFL; in reference to the team logo and a humorous allusion to a tabby cat
• "Ti-cats" – Hamilton Tiger-Cats, CFL; telescoping of team name

Miscellaneous nicknames

• "The Black Hole" — A certain section of the Oakland Raiders' stadium seating, named for its black-clad, especially ferocious seeming fans.
• The Dawg Pound — Originally the bleacher section in the east end zone of Cleveland Stadium, today the bleachers in the same end zone of Cleveland Browns Stadium. Both sections are home to the most rabid fans of the Cleveland Browns, known to throw dog biscuits and other debris at opposing players.
• The Blue Wall is the name of Giants Staidum along with the Swamp as it is in East Rutherford New Jersey.
• "Niner Empire" - A name for the most hardcore, diehard fans in the San Francisco 49ers home stadium.
• "Raider Haters" - The name used to describe the legions of fans that hate the Oakland Raiders.
• "Charger Country" - Name for legion of San Diego Chargers fans.
• "The Frozen Tundra" - Nickname of Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Dates back to the 1967 NFL Championship game between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys called "The Ice Bowl".

See also

• Nickname
• List of baseball nicknames
• List of basketball nicknames
• List of hockey nicknames
• List of athletes by nickname
• American football
• Canadian football