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Tuesday, October 4, 2005
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Aeros Training Camp Report

These former Sioux are “Fighting” mad

SUGAR LAND, Texas - The NCAA denied the University of North Dakota’s appeal last week to remove restrictions on the team’s mascot and nickname – the “Fighting Sioux”.

It’s not a move that comes without controversy. The NCAA said that the nickname provides a “hostile or abusive environment,” but other schools such as Florida State (Seminoles), Utah (Utes) and Central Michigan (Chippewas) were allowed to keep their nicknames. But several Sioux tribes in the area have leaned away from the university in recent years.

In the ruling, UND will be prohibited from hosting NCAA tournament events after this March’s hockey regional. Also, team uniforms will have to have the logo and/or Fighting Sioux verbiage removed before participation in NCAA post-season events. There are more than 2,000 logos or Fighting Sioux references in Ralph Engelstad Arena alone.

The Aeros began camp with three former Fighting Sioux players on the roster, and they all weighed in on the subject.

Bryan Lundbohm:
The thing that’s frustrating is that you know that for every one person that’s against it, there are probably three more for it, but they’re not the outspoken ones. The (Florida State) Seminoles fought it in Supreme Court and they won it.
That program has been around so long. The Sioux pride, everyone knows about. I don’t know what they’d go with for another nickname. I think they’ll still fight it a lot more. It’s going to be hard to imagine covering up all those logos. Everywhere you look there’s a Sioux head or a logo.

Aaron Schneekloth (reassigned to Austin on Monday):
I think it’s definitely disappointing. There is a lot of pride and respect for the people who go to school there and for the athletes that play for the team. I think there will be some controversy. The players have a lot of pride and respect for the jersey and name.
It’s going to cost the school a lot of money to do whatever is required. In the future, if you change the logo or name, it’s going to feel like a lot of the tradition is lost.

Curtis Murphy:
I always liked the name Fighting Sioux. I think it honors them, but I’m not of the Sioux nation. Being an ex-hockey player it was an honor to have logo on my chest and to be known as a Fighting Sioux hockey player and the program’s legacy.

Sioux stick together
For many pro hockey players, having a former teammate on their current team is something out of the ordinary.

For former North Dakota athletes, that’s not the case. All three Aeros in camp – Murphy, Lundbohm and Schneekloth – have seen their share of Fighting Sioux in their careers.

“My first year in South Carolina, there were four of us,” Schneekloth said. “Tim Skarperud in Grand Rapids. I had two guys in New Mexico with me last year. Every pro team I’ve played on, I’ve had former Fighting Sioux teammates.”

Lundbohm said two seasons ago in Milwaukee he was also alongside two UND players – Murphy and Tony Hrkac.

“Everywhere you go there’s somebody that’s played for the program,” Lundbohm said. “It’s pretty neat.”


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