Looking to Presbyterian: What IS a Blue Hose, Anyway?

The Rebels finish their non-conference lineup this week with a home game against the Presbyterian Blue Hose from Clinton, South Carolina.
Wait — the WHAT?

According to the Presbyterian College website, the nickname “Blue Hose” began in the early 1900s, when sportswriters referred to the Presbyterian College athletic teams as the “Blue Stockings” because of the blue socks they wore. Writers used the terms “stockings” and “hose” interchangeably over the years, often shortening stockings to “hose” in newspaper headlines.
Coincidentally enough, former college PR guy Ben Hay Hammet’s 1982 centennial history of Presbyterian College noted that blue-stocking Presbyterians also referred to “Presbyterians with strong puritan leanings.”
“At any rate, the sports nickname was shortened to ‘Blue Hose’ in 1954 — presumably under the assumption that it sounded somewhat fiercer to carry onto the field of athletic battle,” Hammet wrote.
The student body adopted the nickname as the official school nickname in the 1950s.
“Blue Hose” has survived all these years, taking on even more meaning. Today the name signifies fierce Scottish warriors, further adding to Hammet’s take on the term. This interpretation also reflects the college’s Scottish heritage.
Amelia Camurati is managing editor of HottyToddy.com and can be reached at amelia.camurati@hottytoddy.com. Information courtesy of Presbyterian College