Cubs: Team names before they were called the “Cubs”

Chicago Cubs: It took until the early 1900s for the team to start being called the Cubs. Before that, the franchise had several nicknames.

The history of the Chicago Cubs franchise goes back even before the National League was formed in 1876. In 1871 the team became part of the old National Association of Professional Baseball, which lasted until 1875. Back then, the team was known by a different name, the White Stockings. No, we are not talking about today’s American League Chicago White Sox.

While they were publicly known and advertised as the White Stockings because of the uniforms they wore, the real “official” name for the franchise was Chicago National League Ballclub. In the first season of National League play in 1876, the Chicago White Stockings under Hall of Famer Al Spalding finished in first place with a 52-14 record. Over the next decade, the team would tie the 1885 World Series and lose it in six the following year, both against the St Louis Browns (known as the Cardinals today).

The name would stick until the late 1880s/1890s. Would they then change to the Cubs? Nope. Chicago’s National League Club would take on several other nicknames before being known as the Cubs. Here is a look at those other names.