Ateneo Blue Eagles - Team Monikers

Team Monikers

When Ateneo started to participate in intercollegiate sports in 1914, its varsity basketball teams were simply referred to by the school community as the Ateneo Seniors and Ateneo Juniors. They were later dubbed the Blue and Whites by the sports press in the early 1920s when Ateneo joined sports leagues. When Ateneo adopted the Eagle as its mascot in 1938, the college and high school varsity basketball teams were given new names, the Blue Eagles and Blue Eaglets. The first women's varsity basketball team was formed in 1974. It joined the league called WNCAA and was named the Blue Eaglettes. This was later changed to Lady Eagles when they transferred to the UAAP. No written article has been found todate to explain why and to provide the exact year this name change happened.

Ateneo is one of the four UAAP member schools that participate in all of the fifteen sporting events of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The Eagle is the mascot of all the varsity teams participating in these sporting events. However, only the men's varsity basketball team is called the Blue Eagles for purposes of distinction. The names of the other varsity teams also have the word blue (except the women's varsity) as part of their moniker to signify that it is an Ateneo team, since blue is one of the school's colors. The varsity team names are as follows: