So When Did Coldwater Become The Cavaliers?

from the 1946 Coldwater HS Yearbook

NOTE: Thanks to Munch Suchland we found all of the answers to our questions below when he sent us a site featuring stories from the Mercer County Chronicle. The story is updated with complete details and information.

(4-14-20) The internet makes for a good resource to find information on many subjects…but one problem the technology can not help you with sometimes is a look back in time.

That is what we faced in doing a story on the change of mascots at Coldwater. One of the main contributors SSN uses to look back at local sports is Classmates.com.  The site has a date gap for Coldwater that is most likely the time span during the change of mascots took place took place. The 1938 yearbook  is listed and the next yearbook listed is for 1946, that leaves a gap during the era of WW II.

A Google search did help in the timeline when SSN found a Daily Standard story on the closing of the ‘Pit’ home to the Coldwater athletic teams until it closed in 1990. The ‘Pit’ was opened in 1939, which narrowed down our search.

The Daily Standard story talked about the Yellow Jackets when the ‘Pit’ opened –

Completed in 1939 with a final price tag just shy of $200,000, the high school, with the accompanying gym as its central focal point, hosted its first battle that winter when Coldwater, known at the time as the Yellow Jackets

But that was the last reference we could find for this story.

Story updated 4-17-20

A contest was held to change the mascot, details appeared in the November 22nd, 1940 Mercer County Chronicle –

This Mercer County Chronicle Story from November 29th, 1940 makes it clear that the first use of Cavaliers happened in the 1940-41 school year during the first game of the basketball season.

How about the spelling of the mascot…you will note this item from the 1938 Coldwater yearbook story about the boys basketball team… stated in paragraph one they were the Yellow Jackets, but  in paragraph two the spelling was Yellowjackets.

It looks like the school colors have always been orange and black. Although in a later finding it was mentioned that they were yellow and black (see update below) .This came from the 1936-37 Coldwater yearbook describing the cheerleaders uniforms –

So what year did the change take place? From the information found it is narrowed down to between 1940-1945 during World War II.

• So why the change to Cavaliers?

Somewhere, somebody knows all of the above answers. Coldwater fans would be happy to know some of that history from the past. Let SSN know and this posting will be updated. NOTE: Thanks to Munch Suchland we found all of the answers when he sent us a site featuring stories from the Mercer County Chronicle.

Story updated 4-17-20

Thanks to a story by Karla Dues in the ‘Cavalier’ section of the Mercer County Chronicle on March 29th, 1995 we find out details on the name change –

How about this:

With Coldwater scheduled to play Celina next year at the HOOSIER GYM in a boys and girls basketball double-header…how about some Coldwater Yellowjackets throw-back uniforms? Just a thought.

Bulldogs, Cavaliers To Play Double-Header At Hoosier Gym In 2021