The long and storied history of college football is littered with teams whose names evoke the glorious and passion that embodies the sport.

The Crimson Tide. The Fighting Irish. The Buckeyes. The Longhorns.

All are iconic. All stir emotions. All represent the best of college football.

However, for every Tiger, Bulldog, Eagle, Mustang and Bobcat, there are nicknames that trend just a little bit outside the metaphorical box. In the second of this two-part series, we'll take a look at some of the more unusual team names in college football and how they got them.

• Ave Maria Gyrenes. Playing in the NAIA’s Sun Conference, the Gyrenes are one of the newer institutions in college athletics, opening in 2007. The school and its athletics program are the creation of Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan. In 2011, the Gyrenes became the first collegiate football program in the history of southwestern Florida. The team earned its distinctive name from Monaghan’s prior service as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
• Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters. Playing in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in the NJCAA, the Gila Monsters have been in existence for nearly a century. In 1926, Gila College – as it was then known – in its second season in existence scored a massive upset by defeating the heavily favored Arizona Wildcats. Their team name and mascot, known lovingly as Gila Hank – pronounce the “g” like an “h” – is named after the indigenous lizard of the region.
• Knox Prairie Fire. Playing in the Midwest Conference of NCAA Division II, the Prairie Fire currently belong to the nation’s sixth oldest college football rivalry with the nearby Monmouth College. The two schools have been duking it out for the bizarrely named Bronze Turkey Trophy annually since 1928. The team changed its name to the Prairie Fire in 1993, and their current moniker refers to the annual burning of the prairie lands in nearby Green Oaks.
• Wabash Little Giants. Playing in the North Coast Athletic Conference in NCAA Division III, the Little Giants began fielding a team in 1884. In 1905, the Little Giants played in their biggest game in school history, posting a 5-0 win on the road against the mighty University of Notre Dame. College Football Hall of Famers Century Milstead and Jesse Harper have ties to the team. The Little Giants earned their distinctive moniker in 1904 when a group of sportswriters met and discussed the school's “outstanding performance against much larger schools.”
• Washburn Ichabods. Playing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in NCAA Division II, the Ichabods began playing football in 1891. Along the way, the school has won eight conference titles, the first in 1907. College Football Hall of Famer Mal Stevens was an early star for the Ichabods. The team's unique name comes not from the classic Washington Irving character Ichabod Crane but rather from one of the school’s earliest benefactors, Ichabod Washburn. The industrialist bequeathed the school, formerly known as Lincoln College, $25,000 in 1868.
• Williams College Ephs. Playing in the New England Small College Athletic Conference in NCAA Division III, the Ephs – rhymes with “chiefs” –began playing college football in 1881. They have developed a longstanding rivalry with nearby Amherst University and annually play in the Biggest Little Game in America. The Ephs earned their name from the school’s founder, Ephraim Williams, a hero of the French and Indian War. A powerhouse of Division III, the Ephs have boasted a perfect season on seven occasions, the first in 1989. Their distinctive purple cow mascot came from the name of a popular campus humor magazine in 1907.

Eric Moreno is a freelance writer based in San Antonio, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas-San Antonio and a lifetime season ticket holder for UTSA Roadrunner football. In his free time, when not attending games, is an avid reader and traveler. Follow him on Twitter at @EricMoreno6477.