The Army's athletic mascot could be changing as soon as the spring, reported Military Times.
The teams are currently called the "Black Knights," a name that became official in 1999 but has a legacy that extends back to the 1920s. Army athletics were technically called the "Cadets" until the turn of the millennium, but sports journalists had been referring to the organization as the "Black Knight of the Hudson" for about 80 years, referring to the Army academy's location near the Hudson River in West Point, New York.
There had been rumors that the program would return to being called "Cadets," but officials say they would rather start fresh with a new, all-encompassing representative. While many people like the Knights moniker because it implies strength and leadership, others gravitate toward the cadet mascot for its military connotation. The goal in selecting a new athletics symbol will be to bring these elements together.
"We really want to make sure we have something that identifies regionally, nationally and internationally," West Point's athletic director, Boo Corrigan, told the Times-Herald Record.
Military Times reported that the institution hopes to finalize a change in March or April of next year.