UND to stop using Fighting Sioux nickname by August
The University of North Dakota will stop using the Fighting Sioux nickname by August of next year.
Decisions this week by the North Dakota Supreme Court and the state board of higher education ended a four-year legal battle over the nickname.
UND women's basketball coach Gene Roebuck said it's a very sad day for fans, athletes and coaches.
"It's going to be real hard for me to move on and to accept any other type of logo because of the fact that this is Sioux country," Roebuck said. "This whole state is Sioux country."
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UND says it will now decide how to choose a new logo and nickname.
The manager of the privately-owned Ralph Engelstad Arena on the UND campus says he will not remove thousands of Sioux logos from the hockey arena.
University of North Dakota coaches said they are disappointed the Fighting Sioux nickname will be retired.
Athletic Director Brian Faison said he expects a negative reaction from many UND sports fans.
"We're going to work our best to get past that, but clearly for a number of our fans this is going to be a tremendous issue," Faison said. "It's an 80-year tradition, it's a proud tradition and it will not go away overnight. Nor should we expect it to."
Faison said UND will continue to use the Fighting Sioux nickname until August deadline set by the NCAA to retire the nickname.