CARROLLTON, Ga. -- West Georgia dropped its Braves nickname
in favor of Wolves in a move to abide by NCAA regulations.
West Georgia president Beheruz Sethna on Thursday accepted the
recommendation of a task force that chose Wolves over two other
finalists: Patriots and RedHawks.
"There are many outstanding aspects of the Wolves: the
alliteration, the fact that many of our students like the name, the
fact that only four colleges or universities -- none in this area --
use the Wolves, and the opportunities for use in other aspects of
campus life,'' Sethna said.
Athletic director Ed Murphy said the school's teams will be
called the Braves through this academic year. The new name will be
used at the beginning of fall semester.
The NCAA has ruled schools will be barred from wearing uniforms
with their Indian references at NCAA championships. Schools with
nicknames deemed offensive by the NCAA will be prohibited from
hosting those events as of Feb. 1.
Some schools, including Florida State -- which uses Seminoles as
its mascot -- have successfully appealed to keep their current
nickname. Others, including Bradley in Illinois -- which also uses
Braves -- are still appealing.
The decision to drop the name Braves was not supported by all
West Georgia fans and alumni. School officials said the university
also wanted to distinguish its name from that of the Atlanta
baseball team.
"The timing is right for this change,'' Murphy said.