North Dakota Retires Fighting Sioux Nickname

North Dakota Retires Fighting Sioux Nickname

After four years of legal wrangling and a trip to the state's supreme court, the University of North Dakota has officially retired its Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin reported on the divide over the nickname:

Supporters believe the logo shows pride and tradition.

But the NCAA considers the nickname "hostile and offensive" and said UND cannot host postseason events without approval from the state's two Sioux tribes. Under the settlement, the board and UND agreed to begin retiring the nickname if they couldn't obtain permission from the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes by Nov. 30.

According to the Dakota Student, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education voted to retire the name almost a year ago, but the case became ensnared in lawsuits.

The board decided to retire the nickname last May, but were unable to go through with the decision because of a temporary restraining order imposed by a North Dakota district court. With the lawsuit out of the way, board President Richie Smith said at the meeting that unless there was a motion to reconsider their previous decision, the "name is dropped."

Read more about the case at the Dakota Student.

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