Many years ago...like in the 1920's....(Wow. That’s 100 years ago. My how time flies.) Anyway, a basketball team from Orofino High School was playing a game in another town. Apparently they were playing quite well. “Like Maniacs” was the reported description. The name or team moniker stuck.
Those of us who went to Orofino High School prior to the 1970s didn’t even have a picture if you will. Someone clever student in the ‘70s came up with this picture. There has been disagreement about who that clever student was. Never the less the picture is now present on T-shirts, sox, hats, hoodies, flip-flips, sweat pants, window decals, and a local fabric shop sells fabric featuring Maniacs. I have a license plate frame that reads “Once a Maniac, always a Maniac.” I wore out a spare tire cover with an old Maniac shown here with my Aunt Mary who was a 1949 graduate of the aforementioned Orofino High School. As you might
Then along comes the naysayers. From time to time folks get their panties in a bunch and think the name should be changed to some common name like Bulldogs, Eagles, Lions, Tigers, or maybe even Badgers. Most often these complainers don’t live here in O-town. If you want to get a bunch of local Maniac supporters riled up suggest this idea. A while back a new family moved to town. The father proudly told me his son would be a Maniac when he started school.
Several days ago I watched a comedian doing his routine somewhere in Utah. The subject of school mascots came up. He pointed out to the audience that there were only about a dozen of them. Like I noted before...your Eagles, Bulldogs, Lions, Tigers, etc. He mentioned Wildcats and pointed out that wasn’t even a thing. (It is a thing to Buick lovers). He asked the audience members to shout out their schools’ mascots. I wish I had been there. I would have been waving and yelling, “Pick me. Me! Me!, Me!
