Flaming Hearts – Effingham (IL) High School

Or, as I like to call ‘em, the Effing Hearts.

Effingham is a city of 12,250 in southeast central Illinois.  It’s halfway between St Louis and Indianapolis. It’s something of a hub – with interstates, railroads & Route 40 (the National Road) all passing through.

It was founded in 1814 and was originally called Broughton. It was then named Effingham after some local surveyor (who I assume had something to do with laying out the town). It's one claim to fame is a terrible hospital fire that killed 74 people in 1949.

The high school has 800 students, and is located just west of the city center. Its website claims its students “produce award winning theatre shows, earn athletic scholarships to major universities, and are awarded over 1 million dollars in academic scholarships annually.”

The 80-year-old building recently underwent a facelift

It has one famous alumnus as far as I call tell. And that’s the wonderfully named Uwe Blab, an NBA star of the 80s and 90s who was known for his red hair (his nickname was the Burning Skyscraper).

Uwe today

Now, about that mascot … It sounds like it comes from a local booster, one Ada Kepley, who promoted the town as the “Heart of America.” The mascot was adopted all the way back in the 1930s. Not sure where the “flaming" came from. They were originally named the Warriors. 

Ada was the first female law school grad in the US, I’ll have you know

Fighting Zebras – Lincoln (CA) High School

Now, Zebras are scary enough. But fighting zebras? Egad!

Lincoln’s northeast of Sacramento, and has almost 50,000 people. It’s big-time suburban, and is one of the fastest growing cities in the US.

It was actually founded all the way back in 1859, but was pretty sleepy until just recently. Interestingly, the Lincoln is not who you think. It’s actually from one Charles Lincoln Wilson, the guy who brought the railroad to the area. 

The high school dates back 114 years, and currently has 1,670 students. They feature 20+ sports, including coed skeet and trap shooting. There’s one famous alum, Glen Edwards, an Air Force pilot who’s the namesake of Edwards Air Force Base.

Now, about those Zebras … Hard to believe, but the nickname dates back to the 1920s. It was originally applied to the town basketball team, which featured white & blue striped uniforms.

It was an easy extension to the high school. They, though, went with blue & gold stripes. It looks like they’ve ditched ‘em since then, but I do like those helmets.

Of course, it’s the “fighting” that really makes this one. And that came in 1957.

And, yes, they do have a real, live mascot. His name is - checking notes - ZOOse.

And he's fighting mad!

BTW, there’s only one other HS with a zebra as a mascot, Grandview TX. It is not, however, a fighting zebra. So there!

Devil Pups – Lejeune (NC) High School

To really know what’s going on here, you need to first realize that Lejeune means Camp Lejeune, a Marine installation on the North Carolina coast.

Second, you have to know that Devil Dog is a nickname for a Marine. Et voila, Devil Pups!

All well and good, but where the heck did “devil dogs” come from? Well, this one actually dates back to WWI, when the Germans called the Marines teufelhunden, or “devil dogs.” Kind of like schweinhund, but with respect.

Whoops, wrong devil dog

The high school dates back to 1944, and was founded by the Dept. of Defense. It’s located on base (indeed, students must live on base to attend). There are about 500 students.

Not too surprisingly, The Pups wear the traditional Marine red and gold.

BTW, there is a kid’s organization, sponsored by the Marines, that’s also called the Devil Pups. Kind of like a super hard-ass version of the Boy Scouts, I would imagine.

Curley Wolves – Prescott (AR) High School

Wolves? No problem. Curley wolves? WTH???

Prescott is in the southwest part of Arkansas, close to … well, pretty much nothin’. The town of 3,300 only dates back to 1873, coming to life when the railroad came through. It’s known for lumber, some obscure Civil War battlefields, and 18 “notable people” I’ve never heard of.

Lookin’ kinda sleepy

The high school, though it has only 325 students, is something of an athletic powerhouse. They’ve notched 5 state championships in football and 15 in track and field.

Bigger than downtown?

So, about those curley wolves … Once again, we’ve got a name that was given by someone else, supposedly an opposing coach. 

Now, why he called them that is the question. Well, it so happens that a “curly wolf” is “cowboy slang” for a “very tough, very dangerous person.” Now, I’m not really up on my “cowboy slang,” so I’m just gonna have to take their word for it.

“Curly wolf” is also the name of a haircut, a metal band, a beer, a coffee shop & even a series of kids books.

And, yes, they do have a mascot, one that looks, though, a lot like a repurposed furry.