The 10 best patrol name ideas among 2017 March Madness teams

Eagles and Tigers and Bearcats? Oh my!

A look at the nicknames of all 68 teams in the 2017 NCAA Tournament reveals some great ideas for patrol names.

Here, the 10 best patrol nicknames taken from this year’s March Madness field.

10. Hurricanes

School: University of Miami

Why it’s cool: Wild, unpredictable and occasionally destructive. Does that describe any Scout patrols you know?

9. Blue Raiders

School: Middle Tennessee State University

Why it’s cool: This one makes me think of Indiana Jones — Raider of the Lost Ark and Life Scout. It’s like that only … bluer.

8. Wolverines

School: University of Michigan

Why it’s cool: One name, two images of awesomeness. There’s the large mammal that’s part of the weasel family and the clawed mutant who’s part of the X-Men family.

7. Golden Eagles

School: Marquette University

Why it’s cool: Three other schools in the tournament are Eagles: Winthrop, North Carolina Central and Florida Gulf Coast. It’s a popular name in Scouting, too, , but are there any Golden Eagle patrols?

6. Mustangs

School: Southern Methodist University

Why it’s cool: It just sounds like the patrol name John Wayne would choose. Bonus: There’s also a popular sports car with this name.

5. Gators

School: University of Florida

Why it’s cool: Gators are clumsy on land but powerful in the water, making them an ideal patrol name for Scouts who feel most at home in the water.

4. Norse

School: Northern Kentucky University

Why it’s cool: Vikings engaged in some questionable practices, but hey, it was the 10th century! Today’s Scouts who choose a Viking-themed patrol name channel the adventurous side of these Nordic people.

3. Catamounts

School: University of Vermont

Why it’s cool: A word derived from the term “cat of the mountain,” catamounts are wild cats. They’ll summit mountains with ease, but don’t try herding them.

2. Privateers

School: University of New Orleans

Why it’s cool: A privateer, according to the Mariners Museum, is “any individual granted license by their government to attack shipping belonging to an enemy government, usually during a war.” While Scouts aren’t the type to break laws, it’s still fun to be a pretend pirate. Side note: Notice the fleur-de-lis in the Privateers’ logo?

1. Mountaineers

Schools: West Virginia University and Mount St. Mary’s University

Why it’s cool: Scouts are modern-day mountaineers, climbing peaks from coast to coast. While others their age vie for videogame victories, Scouts achieve real-world greatness.

What’d I miss?

What team nickname would you add to this list?


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.