Here’s a question I’ve been asked a few times away from the Internet this week: Why does Charlotte, a school located across the country from California and its iconic 1849 gold rush, use the 49ers as its nickname?
I feel compelled to provide the answer here, in part to help set up all the gifs I plan to drop on Twitter during Saturday’s game (miners, prospectors, gold, Charlotte’s Web, Good Charlotte, the San Francisco 49ers … Any other requests?) and also because I, too, was a little curious.
Why do they call themselves the 49ers?
According to the school’s website, there are a few reasons why Charlotte chose a gold miner as its mascot.