What are the Flying Fleet?


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Erskine folks are often asked, “What is a Flying Fleet?” The story behind the answer reveals some of the history of our athletic program. The early Erskine teams in baseball, football, and tennis needed a team name and chose the name “Seceders.”  In 1929, football coach Jake Todd would employ a wide-open passing attack as head coach that led the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in scoring. During that 1929 season, in a game at Furman, Todd’s passing attack so impressed Greenville News sportswriter Carter “Scoop” Latimer that he labeled Erskine teams “The Flying Fleet.” The name struck a cord with the Erskine student body, and that fall they voted to have the nickname replace “Seceders” as the team name.
Erskine enjoys the distinction of being the only college in the country known as “The Flying Fleet.”