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

Chicago Cubs: A younger roster got a new nickname in 1890

The team was going through what some could call an old fashion “rebuild” in the late 1880s when older players left and young ones came in. Cap Anson was still around, becoming player/manager of the squad and a stockholder of the team. As a veteran player and manager with a bunch of young players, the team became known as “Anson’s Colts” or Chicago Colts.

The Chicago Colts in 1890 were still playing home games at the first West Side Park, which was located on W. Congress and S. Loomis Street. In 1892 they were playing games at South Side Park before moving to the West Side Grounds on Lincoln and Polk Street in 1893. The Colts wore laced up collard shirts with the name “Chicago” over the breast area with high socks and dark shoes.

Over 1890-1897 the Colts did not see much success, only finishing as high as second place twice and middle of the pack or towards the bottom through most of that span. Other notable names on the team during this era included future Hall of Famer Clark Griffith, who would win the ERA title in 1898.

Chicago Cubs: From 1898-1903 the team had a ton of different nicknames

Of all the different names people had for Chicago’s National League Ballclub in the late 1890s-early 1900s, the one which was most recognized as the “Orphans.” This name was given to them after the team let go of Cap Anson in 1898s. In their first year as the Orphans, the team finished in fourth place while seeing young 21-year old rookie Frank Chance make his MLB debut.

While Orphans was their most popular nickname after Anson left, there were other names given by the press and fans for the team. Some called the team the “Rainmakers” due to them going through a stretch of games that were constantly being rained out. Ironic since rain would play a significant role for them 118-some years later.

According to Steve Johnson’s book, Chicago Cubs Yesterday & Today, the team held their 1899 spring training at a New Mexico ranch, which resulted in them getting calling them the “Rough Riders” or “Cowboys.” In 1900-1903 the press wanted to call them other names. Some tried calling them the “Zephyrs” because of their speed; others called them the “Trojans” to pay homage to Johnny Evers‘ place of origin, and some called them the “Panamas” in because the players wore Panama hats during the 1903 preseason. (Johnson, S. (2008). Chicago Cubs yesterday & today. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press.)

That is a lot of nicknames for just a short period. While they had all these nicknames, they were still widely recognized as the Orphans going into the 1900s. The primary name on baseball-reference for the team is Orphans from 1898-1902.

Chicago Cubs: The name did not become official for a few years after it was introduced in 1902

The franchise was going through another youth movement in 1902. Future Hall of Famer Frank Selee was hired to manage the team of energetic youngsters that year. The press figured the team should be named for their youth, and the Chicago Tribune started calling them the “Spuds.” However, the Chicago Daily News published an article by Fred Hayner on March 27th, 1902, calling Selee’s team the “Cubs.”

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This was the earliest piece of a publication that we know exists of the team being called “Cubs” in the paper. The actual origin of the name according to Jack Bales‘ book Before They Were Cubs: The Early Years of Chicago’s First Professional Baseball Team, the name was conceived during a discussion between Daily News city editor James Gilruth, Charles Sensabaugh, and George C. Rice regarding the team’s nickname.

They did not want to call the team the “Orphans” and came up with “Cubs,” according to Gilruth. (Bales, J. (2019). Before They Were the Cubs: The Early Years of Chicago’s First Professional Baseball Team. McFarland & Company Incorporated.)

Hayner and Rice are the ones often recognized as getting the credit for the name. The name “Cubs” certainly gained attention in 1902, but it would not become their official name for a few years. This would happen during their World Series runs in 1907-1908 under player/manager Frank Chance.

The team would get the bear logos on their uniforms and they would be then officially known as they are today as the Chicago Cubs. After the team won their back-to-back titles, they would remain playing at the West Side Grounds until 1915 until moving to Weeghman Park, which is today Wrigley Field.

So long story short, the Cubs got their current name like they got most of their others, from the minds of newspaper writers and editors. Times were pretty different back then.

Keeping track of all the nicknames from 1898 – 1903 is hectic. Just know that the Cubs will always be the Cubs for the rest of your lives. They have been that for over a century, and the name is so iconic it will never change. Not even owner Tom Ricketts would dare to change it, or whoever owns the franchise after that.