Athletic Symbol

In the spring of 1876, Richmond College athletic teams became the "Colts." But in the early 1890's, the Richmond professional baseball team also had the same name. The 1876 Richmond College yearbook reports what happened: "It was while playing in the Tri-City League (around 1893) that the epithet Spiders was first applied to a Richmond College team. The use of epithets and nicknames is undoubtedly the inalienable prerogative of the sport's editor, and each member of the team was made to feel the sting of the reporters thrusts. They were never ashamed of the favorite epithet, however, which has proved to be so appropriate in subsequent contests and has been adopted as the title of success, good judgment, and painstaking perseverance."