Lansing Sexton HS Selects “Scorpions” As New Nickname

In a vote conducted on Friday morning, the Lansing School District (LSD) voted unanimously to replace the longtime "Big Reds" nickname for Sexton High School with "Scorpions".

Scorpions beat out J-Dubbs, Cardinals, and Big Dawgs in the vote.

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Sexton has been known as the "Big Reds" for many decades.  But in recent years it has come under some criticism as some people found that nickname, as well as the logo featuring a Native American headdress, offensive to them.

The LSD announced earlier this year that they would replace the Big Reds nickname as well as the mascot as part of a complete rebranding of the school's athletic teams.

LSD Board of Education President Gabrielle Lawrence said on Friday:

“We wanted to have something that was brandable and marketable. That would have been very difficult with a J-Dubbs mascot, this lets us have an image we can put on football helmets and wrestling mats and things like that.”

Sexton's football team has featured a Native American spear on their helmets for many years (much like the Florida State University design).  Other sports have featured a Native American headdress on their uniforms as well.

It is unclear as to when the nickname and logo changes at Sexton will take effect.  When Okemos high school changed their nickname and logo from "Chiefs" to "Wolves" last year, it didn't take effect until the 2022-23 school year.

Even thought many students wanted "J-Dubbs" to be the nickname, Lawrence says people will always identify Sexton as "J-Dubbs" after J.W. Sexton, who it is named after:

“No matter what the mascot is, the school will always be J.W. Sexton. You will always be J-Dubb Sexton, we are not taking away the name of the school.”