Used to be, players adopted nicknames, informal substitutes for their given first names such as Skip, Buzz and Lefty. Back in the ACC’s early days Duke’s Charles “Lefty” Driesell and Richard “Buzz” Wilkinson of Virginia sported tags straight out of Hardy Boy novels.
Skip also was a big favorite over the years, what with Wake’s Skip Brown, Clemson’s Skip Harlicka and, later, Demon Deacon coach George “Skip” Prosser, born in 1950 when nicknames were common.
A very few players appended a Junior, or Jr., after their last name to signify they were a chip off the old block.