Date:  Mon, 4 Mar 1996 14:47:54 -0500

From:  Jerry Miller <millerj[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]FRANKLINCOLL.EDU>

Subject: Re: Hoya



Tom Creswell asked:

>Can anyone tell me why the Georgetown U. athletic teams are called the Hoyas?

>As far as I can tell, hoya is the name of a plant species--a strange name to

>apply to an athletic team.

>

Tom: I researched this years ago for an article on strange team nicknames

(and don't have the material in front of me). As I recall, it comes from a

Latin phrase, "Hoya saxa," which translates "what rocks." How Georgetown

came to derive a team nickname from that escapes me (and maybe them, too).



Jerry Miller