NFL nicknames

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following are nicknames that are considered common knowledge among NFL fans:

• The 49ers Faithful ^[1] — Nickname given to the fans of the San Francisco 49ers.
• The Ain'ts^[2]— Nickname given to the New Orleans Saints after their 1980 season of 14 consecutive losses. The name persisted somewhat as they were the only team in the league to never win a playoff game, until their defeat of the St. Louis Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs in 2000-12-30.
• Air Coryell^[3] — Nickname given to the high powered passing offenses of the early 1980s San Diego Chargers, led by quarterback Dan Fouts and coached by Don Coryell .
• America's Team^[4] — Nickname given to the Dallas Cowboys due to having a large number of fans outside its immediate local area. (The term itself is derived from the title of the team's 1978 highlight film).
• The Bay of Pigs^[5] — Nickname given to matchups of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers by ESPN anchor Chris Berman from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, when both teams hovered at the bottom of the NFC Central division.
• Bickering Bills^[6] — Name given to the Buffalo Bills during their Super Bowl runs, due to team members constantly arguing with each other
• Big Blue Wrecking Crew^[7] — Name of the New York Giants defensive team during their 1986 championship season.
• The Big Sombrero^[8] — Nickname given to Tampa Stadium, first home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so named because of its curved outline that resembled the brim of a sombrero. Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs' home since 1998, has been christened The New Sombrero by ESPN anchor Chris Berman^[9].
• Bills Backers^[10] — Buffalo Bills fans. Due to the massive population displacement of Western New Yorkers, "Bills Backers Bars" can be found in almost every major city throughout the United States.
• Blitz, Inc.^[11] — Name of the Philadelphia Eagles defensive team from 1999-2004 seasons.
• Blitzburgh^[12] - Name of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive unit of the mid-1990s and their tendency to relentlessly attack opposing quarterbacks.
• Black Hole^[13] — Name of the section behind the south end zone at McAfee Coliseum, home of the Oakland Raiders, known for having some of the most rabid fans in the NFL.
• Cardiac Cardinals (Cards)^[14] — the St. Louis Cardinals NFC East championship teams of 1974 (10-4) and '75 (11-3). Noted for their come-from-behind wins under their head coach, Don Coryell. The name was resurrected for the 1998 team that upset Dallas in the wild card game.^[15]
• Cardiac Cats^[16] — the Carolina Panthers of the late 1990s and early 2000s, known for close games often decided in the final minutes or the final play, thus giving their fans heart attacks.
• Cheeseheads^[17] — Green Bay Packers fans who wear foam triangles made to look like cheese on their heads.
• Da Bears^[18] — Slang nickname given to the Chicago Bears made popular by the Bill Swerski's Superfans sketches of the early 1990s on Saturday Night Live.
• Dawg Pound^[19] — Name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium, also known for having some of the most rabid fans in the NFL. The name was originally applied to the bleacher section in the same end zone at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which formerly stood on the site.
• Dirty Birds^[20] — The 1998 Atlanta Falcons (but is still used to this day to describe the Falcons). The name referred to the dance done by the players in the end zone upon scoring.
• Doomsday Defense^[21] — The 1970s Dallas Cowboys defensive team. Doomsday I, the unit that led the Cowboys to victory in Super Bowl VI, was anchored by future Pro Football Hall of Fame members Herb Adderley, Bob Lilly, and Mel Renfro, while Doomsday II, which spearheaded the drive to the title in Super Bowl XII, featured Hall of Famer Randy White and fellow defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Too Tall Jones.
• The Dynasty^[22] — The current NFL dynasty as held by the New England Patriots. Winners of 3 Super Bowls in four years (XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX).
• The Electric Company^[23] — The 1970s Buffalo Bills offensive line. They were given that name because they "turned on the 'Juice'" by paving the way for star halfback O.J. Simpson, who was nicknamed "Juice", because a common nickname for orange juice is also O.J.
• Fearsome Foursome^[24] — The 1960s Los Angeles Rams defensive line.
• Franco's Italian Army^[25] — Fans of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris.
• The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field^[26] — Nickname given to the home field of the Green Bay Packers. The phrase was first uttered by NFL Films narrator John Facenda as he described the 1967 NFL Championship Game, or "Ice Bowl," during which Lambeau's undersoil heating system failed and the field froze. Without a heating system, the severe winter climate of Green Bay, Wisconsin would frequently cause the field to freeze.
• Fun Bunch^[27] — Early 1980s Washington Redskins wide receivers and tight ends. Their choreographed touchdown celebrations lead to a league ban of "excessive celebration" in 1984.
• The G Men^[28] — Nickname of the New York Giants frequently used by Chris Berman.
• Gang Green^[29] — Name of the Philadelphia Eagles defensive team from 1987 to 1990, when the team was coached by Buddy Ryan. Now more likely to refer to the New York Jets^[30].
• The Greatest Show on Turf^[31] — The 1999-2001 St. Louis Rams offensive team. (Note: The first team referred to as "The Greatest Show on Turf" was the 1992 Houston Oilers, the title of their 1993 NFL Films highlight film. The Oilers employed the wide-open run-and-shoot offense.)^[32]
• The Gritz Blitz^[33] — Nickname for the 1977 Atlanta Falcons defense.
• The Hogs^[34] — The 1980s Washington Redskins offensive line. Name first used by offensive line coach Joe Bugel during the team's 1982 training camp prior to winning Super Bowl XVII.
• Hogettes^[35] — Rabid Washington Redskins fans who dress in drag and wear pig-noses.
• The House of Pain^[36] — House of Pain was used to describe the Houston Astrodome during NFL games played by the Houston Oilers. This was during the days that Warren Moon was the quarterback, and the Oilers defense was a force to be reckoned with.
• The Ickey Shuffle^[37] — Dance done by Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods whenever he scored a touchdown. Woods was forced to move the dance to the sidelines behind the Bengals' bench after officials starting penalizing him for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• The K-Gun^[38] — Nickname referring to the no-huddle offense used by the Buffalo Bills during the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s.
• The Kardiac Kids^[39] — The 1980 Cleveland Browns, who had a penchant for having games decided in the final moments.
• The Killer Bees^[40] — The 1982 Miami Dolphins defensive team; 6 of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter "B". They allowed only 131 points in the strike-shortened, nine-game regular season.
• Lambeau Leap^[41] — During home games at Lambeau Field, some players from the Green Bay Packers would leap into the stands after scoring a touchdown. Originally created by LeRoy Butler, it was made popular by Robert Brooks.
• Mile High Salute^[42] — Mid-to-late 1990s Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis would salute his soldier father after scoring touchdowns.
• Monsters of the Midway^[43] — Originally applied to the Chicago Bears of the early 1940s, but revived for the 1980s Bears. Modern NFL fans, unaware of the term's history, typically use it as a reference to the 1980s teams.
• The New York Sack Exchange^[44] — The New York Jets defense of the early 1980s, lead by defensive ends Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko.
• No-Name Defense^[45] — The 1970s Miami Dolphins defensive team, especially that of its undefeated 1972 season, which performed excellently despite a lack of recognizable stars. They earned their nickname the previous year when Dallas coach Tom Landry said in an interview prior to Super Bowl VI that he could not remember the names of the Miami defensive players.
• Orange Crush^[46] — The 1970s Denver Broncos defensive team, led by defensive end Lyle Alzado and linebacker Randy Gradishar.
• The Over the Hill Gang^[47] — The George Allen-coached Washington Redskins of the early 1970s, so named due to the large number of veteran players on the team. Many of those players also played for Allen when he coached the Los Angeles Rams from 1966-1970.
• The Patsies^[48] — Poorly performing New England Patriots squads, a playoff of the nickname "The Pats."
• The Pewter Pirates^[49] — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after changing team logo and colors in 1997.
• The Posse^[50] — The trio of wide receivers on the Washington Redskins of the late 1980s and early 1990s: Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders
• The Purple People Eaters^[51] — The 1970s Minnesota Vikings defensive line, specifically the combination of Alan Page, Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, and Gary Larsen.
• Raider Nation^[52] — Oakland Raiders fans.
• The Ralph^[53] — Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.
• The Razor^[54] — New England Patriots stadium Gillette Stadium
• The Rockpile^[55] — The seating section underneath the scoreboard at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Considered one of the most raucous environments in the NFL, this section was named after War Memorial Stadium (the home of the Bills prior to Rich Stadium) which was referred to locally as "The Rockpile".
• San Diego Superchargers^[56] — Nickname given to the San Diego Chargers when they are playing well by Chris Berman and Tom Jackson .
• The 700 Level^[57] — The notorious upper levels of the former Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia between 1971 and 2002. This section was notorious for brawls between Philadelphia Eagles fans and those of visiting teams, especially Cowboys fans.
• The Smurfs^[58] — The 1980s Washington Redskins receiving corps of Gary Clark, Alvin Garrett, and Charlie Brown. The three were given the nickname because of their diminutive size (Garrett was 5'7”, Clark was 5'9”, and Brown the tallest at 5'10”), comparing them to the tiny blue comic and cartoon characters.
• Steel Curtain^[59] — The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers defensive team.
• Steeler Nation^[60] — Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
• SuperSkin^[61] — Die-hard fan of the Washington Redskins, who attends each home game dressed in a burgundy and gold superhero costume and motivates other fans to cheer loudly.
• Titletown^[62] — referring to both the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin and the twelve-time NFL champion Packer teams, including those of legendary coaches Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau.
• Terrible Towel^[63] — a gimmick used by fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers to cheer for their team.
• The Three Amigos^[64] — The trio of wide receivers on the Denver Broncos of the late 1980s and early 1990s: Mark Jackson, Vance Johnson, and Ricky Nattiel.
• The Triplets^[65] - Offensive stars of the 1990's Dallas Cowboys 3-time Super Bowl winning teams . Includes QB Troy Aikman, WR Michael Irvin, and RB Emmitt Smith. Aikman and Irvin were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Smith will be eligible in 2010.
• The Yucks^[66] — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s when the team commonly posted double-digit losses during the regular season.

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