Best high school mascot in Michigan: Top 10 candidates

A muskrat isn’t that different from a beaver, and there are a whole bunch of Beavers out there, so why is this the only high school in the country to be the Muskrats? Cheers to Algonac for showing so much “Muskrat Love.”

Colon, Michigan, is the magic capital of the world, and Magi the Rabbit is Colon High School’s mascot (sometimes depicted as a rabbit in a hat). Magi also, of course, were noble pilgrims from the East who followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem.

From the Goodrich website: “When the ‘Martian' name was adopted in the 1930s, it had a dual significance because in Roman mythology, Mars was an agricultural deity as well as a warrior. Goodrich still has many small farms, and the Martian warriors have to be reckoned with on the playing field and in the classroom.” So no, it has nothing to do with Marvin from Looney Tunes.

Gwinn became known as a “Model Town” for miners in the early 1900s, so naturally the high school sports teams called themselves the Modeltowners.

“Flivver” was a term for a beat-up car that was popular in the 1910s and 1920s, and Kingsford is a Ford town.

The first known use of the word “chemic” came in 1576, according to Merriam-Webster, short for “alchemic.” It also can be short for “chemical.” And at Midland High School, Vic — a stuffed lion — is the Chemics’ mascot. 

Not to be confused with the Mount Clemens Bathers, a minor league baseball team in the early 1900s, the Battling Bathers of Mount Clemens still press on. Mount Clemens’ bath houses were a hot spot for the rich and famous in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the Detroit area.

Gen. John J. Pershing’s troops in World War I were known as “Doughboys,” a nickname that dated back to the Mexican War of 1846-48, when American infantrymen made long treks over dusty terrain, giving them the appearance of being covered in dough.

Per NFHS: "The Nimrod mascot represents an outdoorsman and has biblical roots. Nimrod was a mighty hunter and the son of Cush and great-grandson of Noah. The nickname is extremely popular in the community, and has been the subject of an eight-part documentary, Nimrod Nation, and an ESPN commercial.”

The town of Zeeland was once known for its chick hatcheries. The Zeeland East Chix celebrate that history, and the Chix crosstown rivals are the Dux of Zeeland West.