From These Roots

The Moonshiners (1920-1949)

Prior to 1920, we have no evidence of any school mascot. There were sports teams, but they were always called by the school’s name in news stories and in the yearbooks. In 1920, North Greenville printed the first yearbook since 1913 and titled it, “The Moonshiner”. While this was the name of the yearbook, we are not sure if the sports teams used this name before 1924. In 1924, an article in The Greenville News referred to the North Greenville football team as “The Moonshiners”. By 1926, “The Moonshiners” was the mascot listed in the school’s yearbook. Unfortunately, we can find no record of a drawing of the mascot or any pictures featuring a Moonshiner mascot. Many of the uniforms during this time were shirts with “NG” or “NGBA” written by hand on the front. At times, a “T” was used to represent “Tigerville”. The last mention of “The Moonshiners” as the sports mascot was in the 1927 yearbook. “The Moonshiner” stayed the name of the yearbook until 1938. No mascot names were listed in the yearbook during the 1930s. In the 1940s, sports at North Greenville stopped during WWII. Basketball returned to North Greenville Junior College in the 1946-1947 school year, but no mascots were shown.

The Black Widow Spiders (1950-1953)

In 1950, the students of North Greenville Junior College and Baptist Academy voted on a mascot and “The Black Widow Spiders” was chosen. According to alumna Barbara Ann Hollis Kennerly who was a part of the vote, the football team was proud of their new mascot. The name was usually shortened to “The Black Widows” or “The Widows”. This is also the time when the black and red colors were chosen for the school based on the colors of the Black Widow Spider. Despite further mascot changes, the colors have stayed the same since 1950. During the Black Widow years, North Greenville had baseball, football, and men’s basketball teams.

The Mountaineers (1953-2001)

In 1953, football was dropped from the school’s collegiate sports and Coach Dick Campbell came to North Greenville to coach baseball and men’s basketball. That year, the men’s basketball team took on the name “The Mountaineers”. The baseball team for the 1953-1954 school year still wore “The Widows” jerseys but were called “The Mountaineers” in news articles. By the 1954-1955 school year, both sports teams had fully transitioned to the new mascot and “The Mounties” replaced “The Widows” on the baseball jerseys. “The Mountaineers” or “The Mounties” for short would stay the school mascot in some variation until 2001 with one exception in women’s sports.

The Lassies (1958-1969)

The women’s basketball team from 1958-1969 was the only sports team between 1954-2001 to use a name that wasn’t a variation of “The Mountaineers”. “The Lassies” lasted from the time women’s basketball started at the collegiate level in 1958 until it ended for a few years in 1969. When women’s basketball returned to North Greenville in 1973, they took on the name “The Mountainettes”. Eventually, they would be called “The Lady Mounties” or just simply “The Mounties”.

The Crusaders (2001-2024)

For years, some felt that “The Mounties” was not a good mascot choice for the school because of the stigma around ignorant hillbillies and moonshining. Many others disagreed with this view and felt that “The Mounties” was a great tribute to the mountain people who founded North Greenville. In the end, a committee was formed, and the mascot changed to “The Crusaders” in 2001.

The Trailblazers (2024-?)

On April 29, 2024 it was announced that the NGU mascot was now The Trailblazers. The Trailblazer mascot was chosen because it fits the school’s mission and history. According to NGU Executive Vice President Rich Grimm in the official press release about the mascot change, “Trailblazers are innovators, leaders, pioneers, and adventurers. Like our students and student-athletes, they negotiate a path forward through the unknown and establish a trail for others to follow.” The red fox was chosen as the animal to represent the Trailblazers. Rich Grimm said the red fox was chosen “because the animal displays qualities that also embody a Trailblazer. The red fox is clever, resourceful, wise, fast, tenacious, and brave, and it adapts to its ever-changing environment while continually expanding its territory.” The new mascot logo was designed by Richabaugh Graphics. Rickabaugh Graphics’ explanation of the logo design notes that it includes “rich symbolism that is very appropriate for NGU. The overall shield shape represents both the strength and unity on campus. The top crest of the shield is a nod to the local geography of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And finally, the red fox is focused on the North Star which has long been a guiding light for explorers. This light symbolizes both ‘reaching for the stars’ and ‘setting one’s sights high,’ and of course underscores the fact that NGU has long been referred to as ‘a light on the hill.’”