Keuka College says it’s changing the nickname of its sports teams after legal pressure from North Caroline State University.
At the end of the current season, the college located in the Finger Lakes will stop using the name “Wolfpack” and instead the Keuka teams will be known as the “Wolves.”
The “Wolfpack” name came about as a result of a student recommendation after the student body got involved to help clean up in the region following a serious flood.
But several months ago, NC State sent Keuka College an official request to stop using the nickname, claiming it infringed on NC State’s trademark.
A statement on the Keuka College website says that many athletics teams co-exist with the same trademarked name.
“No one could reasonably confuse Keuka College with NC State given the significant differences in our schools— from our size, to our division, to our colors,” said Jorge Díaz-Herrera, president of Keuka College. “While NC State may be willing to spend their monetary resources on legal challenges at a time when the very value of higher education is being called into question, Keuka College is not.”
