The Nickname

The  nickname Athenian—When did Crawfordsville athletic teams and yearbooks become known as The Athenian or Athenians?

The first yearbook was simply called Ye Yeare Book.  The athletic teams were referred to as the Gold and Blue or sometimes the Old Gold and Blue.  The yearbook was first called The Athenian in 1906, undoubtedly because  Crawfordsville was called the Athens of Indiana because of it literary heritage.  The athletic teams did not adopt the nickname until the middle twenties, probably 1925.  The early annuals refer to all athletic teams, boys and girls as the “Midgets.”  The 1925 Athenian refers to the football as the “Midgets,” and the Athenians.  After that the nickname Athenians was used exclusively.